Although most people think of vision quality as your acuity score, there are many things that can attribute to how well you can see. As we’ve learned in our past videos, contrast also plays an important role in vision. Of course, light is an incredibly crucial part of being able to see. However, some people have a sensitivity to light that disrupts their ability to see.

What Is Light Sensitivity?

Also known as photophobia, light sensitivity is characterized by how sensitive your eyes are to light. It’s mainly based on how well your eyes can handle bright light. For example, during an eye exam, some patients have a hard time keeping their eyes wide open, and they want to squint or close their eyes. These patients are more light-sensitive.

Why Does Light Sensitivity Matter?

It may sound like there’s an easy solution for light sensitivity, but it’s more than just wearing sunglasses on a sunny day. Light sensitivity affects people both inside and outdoors, and it often causes more discomfort than a simple pair of sunglasses can help. People who suffer with photophobia often have trouble:

• Driving on a bright, cloudless day
• Transitioning from indoor to outdoor lighting – think movie theater to a busy parking lot
• Catching all the action at a sunny sporting event
• Viewing all the colorful lights around the holidays

If light sensitivity is extreme enough, even some LED lighting can be too intense. There is also a correlation between light sensitivity and the triggering of migraines. Your eye doctor can help you determine if you have light sensitivity, how severe it is, and whether or not you need to make any adjustments to help reduce it.

How to Reduce Light Sensitivity

Light sensitivity can interfere with many activities, but there are ways of reducing its impact. For example, avoiding the drastic switch from a dark theater to the bright outdoors can help relieve some discomfort. Allowing the eyes to slowly adjust to indoor natural lighting before stepping outside can help with this. Additionally, wearing good sunglasses that have the proper UVA and UVB protection can help in outdoor situations.

However, there’s one way that’s been proven to actually reduce photophobia. Science shows that taking an eye health supplement with 8+ mg of dietary zeaxanthin can reduce light sensitivity! EyePromise eye vitamins are the only products that contain these levels of dietary zeaxanthin. As the #1 doctor recommended eye vitamin brand, EyePromise has a variety of vitamins to choose from – each designed to support specific eye health needs. Take the quiz to see which EyePromise vitamin is right for you.