Photophobia “not a single disease; it’s a symptom,” says distinguished eye expert, part 1 of a 2-part series

Shelby RamseySpecial to the Valley NewsThe medical term “photophobia” as it is written, is a misnomer read as “fear or dread of light.”Dr. Kathleen Digre, a distinguished neuro-ophthalmologist and former president of the American Headache Society and former president of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society, provided more clarification on this topic.Photophobia “is really a discomfort people have,” Digre said. It is defined “as an abnormal sensitivity to light, especially of the eyes,” such exposure “definitely induces or exacerbates pain.”There are many causes that can lead individuals to have the symptom of photophobia.“Just like headache can be caused by different things; photophobia can be caused by different things,” Digre said.