Photophobia and cortical visual impairment.

Photophobia, or intolerance of light, is not completely understood as a symptom. It has been divided into ocular and central types. This study shows that persistent, usually mild, photophobia occurs in about one-third of children with cortical visual impairment (CVI). When the CVI is congenital the photophobia is present from birth, and when it is acquired the sensitivity to light appears immediately after the brain insult. The intensity of photophobia tends to diminish with time and occasionally it may even disappear. The pathophysiology is unclear, as in all other neurological disorders associated with photophobia.