A few days ago a very peculiar problem started troubling me. My eyes turned very sensitive to bright light. It started all of a sudden when my eyes would start watering while seeing the computer one evening. It did not go away despite repeatedly washing my eyes. The next day it got worse. Thinking it would go away in a few days, I responded with lowering the brightness of my computer and smart phone.
By the next day the sensitivity was so severe that I switched to reverse contrast of my laptop screen and then I did a 80’s thing by wearing sun glasses at home during the day. The next day I had some important meetings and I went to office with the sun glasses.
Alarmed at my condition, friends and family started to enquire about my condition and finally my wife mentioned this to our family physician. Our family physician is usually calm and jovial but after listening to my wife he turned serious and immediately ordered me to visit an ophthalmologist (Eye Surgeon) . It seems the condition was serious and he then suspected that I had Uveitis or inflammation (swelling of the Uvea) or the middle eye.
Uveitis is characterized by
- Blurred vision
- Dark floating spots in vision
- Eye pain
- Redness in the eye
- Sensitivity to light (The only symptom I had)
Uveitis is a serious condition, it is caused by the inflammation, pain and swelling in the Uvea. The condition leads to destruction of the eye tissue. It can lead to reduced vision and can lead to vision loss. Uveitis though mostly affects the Uvea but can also affect the lens, retina, optic nerve, and vitreous, producing reduced vision or blindness. The most interesting part of Uveitis is that it can originate in the eye itself or could be a systemic condition affecting the eye.
The condition can affect anyone between the age groups of 20-60 years. It can be acute (short term) or chronic (longer duration). The cure for Uveitis is a combination of pain relief, reducing the swelling and restoring vision.
Luckily for me after checking with the specialist, I was relieved to find out that it was a case of usual wear and tear of the epithelium covering the eye, leading to spots through which light was passing through unfiltered and causing sensitivity. During this process I checked with the Ophthalmologist, if excessive working, or viewing the computer for extended periods was responsible for this situation. But he said it was fine and sleeping 6-8 hours a day and giving the eyes time to breathe was enough and should not cause any further complications.
Do check this link for more information on Uveitis and in case you do suffer from sensitivity to light, do consult an ophthalmologist (Eye specialist) immediately. I visited the Eye Foundation in Bellandur in Bangalore and I think its an excellent institution.
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