Photophthalmia
Photophthalmia is inflammation of the eye due to exposure to intense light.
Some sources define photophthalmia as "keratoconjunctivitis caused by ultra-violet light/energy", which obviously has a similar but more specific meaning - i.e. inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva, rather than the eye in general, and caused by ultra-violet light specifically.
Photophthalmia may be due to the damaging effects of excessive ultra-violet light on the cornea, e.g. as in Snow Blindness. Other possible sources of excessively bright light include ultra-violet lamps and arc welding equipment.
See also, for comparison, photoretinitis and Arc-eye.
More about Ophthalmology:
This section includes short definitions
of many diseases, disorders, and conditions of the eyes and visual system.
For definitions of other terms in this category, choose from the list
to the left (but note that this is not a complete/exhaustive list).
Other related pages include
- A diagram of the eye
- Definitions and descriptions of the parts of the eye
- A concise description of the human retina
- Definitions of parts of the retina
- Clinical and surgical procedures re. eyes and human visual system
For further information see also our pages of books about ophthalmology.
The following books may also be of interest:
