Visual impairments

Light sensitivity

(Photophobia)

A condition where bright lights hurt the eyes and can cause loss of visual acuity in well lit environments.

Light sensitivity can be caused by migraines, corneal abrasion, conjunctivitis or other conditions such as cerebral and blue cone monochromacy.

About 80% of people who have migraines also have light sensitivity.

No sensitivity
 Light sensitivity makes it difficult to focus on objects and may cause them to be blurry.

How it affects UI design

High contrast interfaces may cause physical discomfort or strain some people's eyes.

Dark mode, or dark color themes, may help certain users by lessening the amount of light emitted on screen.

Supporting Windows high contrast mode will help users with light sensitivity.

In some cases, WCAG 1.4.3 (contrast minimum) may create too high of contrast for users. Consider personalization settings to give users the ability to adjust contrast to meet their needs.

Sources:

  1. Shedding Light on Photophobia. NIH NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3485070/
  2. What is photophobia?. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/photophobia-facts
  3. Photophobia: Looking for Causes and Solutions. American Academy of Opthalmology. https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/photophobia-looking-causes-solutions/