Sensitivity to lights a big problem.

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Ever since I can remember I have had problems with light sensitivity. I used to wear sunglasses in class because the lights would make me feel sleepy and give me very bad eye strain. Same thing with computer screens, I have to have the lights off in the room and the monitor at %50 brightness to be able to use the computer. I have had my eyes tested many times over this and every specialist says they are perfectly healthy. I even went to get my sinuses checked out because I thought it could be a sinus problem around my eyes. Fluorescent lights are the worst and I was so happy when they replaced CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamps) in LCD monitors with EL-WLED (White LEDs). After this I could use a computer screen better but not with the lights on. Also I get bad eyestrain when scanning a shelf full of detail at the store. Its like an overload of detail and color and I have to close my eyes to reset them. This happens with focusing sometimes also. I do have light colored eyes and larger than normal pupils but even then I shouldn't suffer this much I also notice my experience of color is quite vivid, especially neon colors, they look almost alien. Red cars are vibrant and the saturation of everything it seems is unusually heightened. This might explain why I love cartoons, colorful games, scenery and large vistas. I know these are autistic traits and I wish to know if anyone else shares my pain

Anyone the same

Have you heard of photophobia?

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency ... 003041.htm

http://www.allaboutvision.com/condition ... sitive.htm

I think it's common among autistic people to varying degrees. I have it too, and wear sunglasses indoors rather frequently (mostly with fluorescent lights, which are harsher for me than incandescent). I also have issues with my monitor, although not nearly as much as my previous (flatscreen) monitor.

I do find colors rather vibrant and they also have flavors (synesthesia).

Despite all this, my vision is fairly acute - I can see things clearly about twice as far as most people.

I also have constant pixelation in my vision, also called visual snow.

My visual snow is a lot less of an issue. I am not sure how it compares to yours, but my night vision is fairly good.

Sometimes the snow can get really intense, though. It's worse in the dark, but not so bad I can't see at night. It is enough that my bedroom looks like some kind of psychedelic lightshow with the lights off. It gives me some mildly dyslexia-like effects with black text on white paper - the white parts start to look like a river of glowing colorful dots and it can drown out the text. I can resolve it to some extent by trying to read with less light or wearing my sunglasses.

I think a lot of people here can relate.

Like this



It was in one of temple gradins videos as a slide...she was explaining some autistic people have visual processing issues like this. I can relate to this effect happening with black text on white paper...moving and distorting with afterimages almost like an alphabet soup. This only happens sometimes like when I first start to read a book or super stressed, but I was so shocked at the similarity I took a screenshot of the slide in the video and I just recently rediscovered this.

Yeah, my visual processing can be variable from "fairly accurate" to "I can't tell where one thing ends and another begins, nor do I know what the heck color means." It happens to me most often in the middle of video games. I can compensate for it for a time but then I'm suddenly dying constantly because I can't tell the difference between monsters and walls and other obstacles.

It's easier to deal with in some MMOs because they're not as fast paced and mob behavior is more predictable even if all I am seeing is colors flashing everywhere.

Having too bright a background can make things look pretty weird on the page, with letters dancing around and such. I know I do not have dyslexia, but I do experience a few similar effects at times.

I encounter bad problems with glare on a computer screen. One day about twenty years ago, I effectively went blind for a couple of hours from eyestrain. I went to the doctor the next day and he said that nothing was wrong.

Oh, there's another thing, aside from glare.

I find that the lights manufacturers love to put on monitors and speakers and computers are bright enough to essentially wash everything else out. I cannot look at a monitor with one of those bright blue lights, I have to cover it up to be able to actually see the screen. Having one near the monitor is bad enough (say on my speakers).

Yes, me too. When someone was visiting my place a while back they asked, "why are there bits of paper tape covering the oven clock, the washer & dryer control panels, and the buttons on the slow cooker?" (usually I remove them before people are here) Because, I have to cover them up; the blasted lights on there are so intense it's like they stab my eyes. when their light is on I can't see anything else, especially the settings I'm supposed to be using. Light (& sound) at big grocery stores is bad. A pair of sunglasses helps, and recentlynI started listening to white noise while shopping, with a shopping list, which all helps a lot to keep me focused on the task of getting finished as quickly as possible.

How you like my eyewear?



Ignore my ugly mug and focus on the specs, ta. =D
Prescription sunglasses for my shortsightedness... bloody big, black frames for my "hates of teh lights"...

I usually wear a hat as well to blot out light-leakage from the top... but I'm not allowed to wear the hat in the office.


Also got a pair of goggles for when the sunglasses just aren't enough...



O'course light is only the joint worst thing.... The other major eyesight hazard is too much movement in my field of vision. I get distracted so easily by things moving where I can see them.

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I was once told that light sensitivity isn't always the cause of some serious underlying eye disease. Some have it and have no problems with their eyes at all.

I've got it and once managed to discover by accident how to give myself a migraine.

Same problem with me, I mean I turn on the lights, but after a while they hurt my eyes. And glare is a big problem. Sunlight tends to give me a headache and don't get me started on glare on wet streets. Talk about confusing and hard to read.

I have worn welding glasses - not a fashion statement, but especially in my younger years where too much glare also resulted in wicked migraines I found them necessary.