It’s good to hear again that it gets better for some people. Mine comes and goes. The snow we had a few weeks ago and this week’s gray skies have been bothersome. Today, I closed all the blinds in my house.
Thank you posting this, it’s been 2 years since my AVM removal. I’ve been experiencing light sensitivity since my surgery. Bright lights, sunny day and on-coming headlights seem to be the worst triggering headaches and nausea. I’ve learned not to leave the house without a pair of glasses that fit over my regular glasses and some days I have to close all the shades in the house to deal with the brightness. I joke with friends that the surgery turned into a creature of the night. Anyway, I’m grateful to hear that I’m not alone and I’ll definitely be talking to my neurologist about this.
Glad to know! I guess we all just continue to adjust our screens and lives and are glad to be alive!! Hang in.
I'm 15 months out from my AVM rupture and also have photosensitivity. The more tired I get, the worse it becomes throughout the day. I agree that it's extremely irritating.
Thank you all for your replies. I want to post an update because I saw a neuro-opthalmologist yesterday and thought it might be helpful to some of you or to someone else down the line.
First, I'll say that I have never had any type of visual problems until the AVM hemorrhage. That was without a doubt when the sensitivity to light began. I was in the NICU when I noticed it. I went to the appointment yesterday fully expecting that he would confirm that the cause was the hemorrhage, and it was. He did the full set of tests to determine if anything else could be causing it. It turns out that I have perfect vision and scored perfectly on all of the tests that would indicate if there were problems in the retina or anything esle pertaining to my eye function. One of those tests was a full field ERG. I don't recall the names of the other tests. He explained that his job was to rule out other causes for the light sensitivity, and in my case there is no other cause. He said, "I'm sorry to tell you, but there is nothing I can do for you. The best thing you can do is shield your eyes. Take some shades when you go shopping." He did say that light sensitivity does sometimes occur as a residual effect of a hemorrhage or brain injury.
So...I went shopping and bought some great sunglasses! :) I also intend to try some of the tinted glasses to see if they help with fluorescent lighting.
I hope that information will be helpful to someone.
I have an outside the brain AVM (ear, scalp and salivary gland) but have had visual disturbances all my life. I'm starting to wonder if I aslo have a brain AVM or if there is any way an AVM on my head could cause this also?
I had my first AVM rupture in 2004 and again in 2014 i am 8 months out from my last Gammaknife surgery and i have always had the same problems you are suffering. Mine has never went away, i wear sunglasses all the time. It takes some time but you get use to it after while and will know what triggers it. I get headaches from it so i always keep a pair of sunglasses close. I hope this helps some and just know you are not alone.
Brief add-on to my earlier comment on sensitivity. I have painfully (yet of course glad not AVM-related) that I have had a long-growing case of dry eyes. Photo-sensitivity. . . !!! I am hoping that with treatment--lubricating eye drops with no preservatives, gel ones before sleep, warm compresses twice a day, and staying away from screens or greatly lessening computer or
tv or texting--I am hoping my eyes will return to earlier capabilities.
Just pass this info along. Forme, whenever anything goes wrong or different, I connect with AVM, but not always true. Please, I do not mean to invalidate problems with vision AVM-induced.
Good luck, good living, as ever. Elizabeth