Photosensitivity in humans

• Timing of light
• Intensity of light
• Wavelength of light
• Rapid flickers in intensity of light may trigger or aggravate photosensitive epilepsy, epileptic seizure, or migraine headaches.

Sunlight

• Psoriasis
• Atopic eczema
• Mastocytosis
• Mast cell activation syndrome
• Histamine intolerance
• Erythema multiforme
• Seborrhoeic dermatitis
• Autoimmune bullous diseases
• Mycosis fungoides
• Smith–Lemli–Opitz syndrome
• Porphyria cutanea tarda

• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Sjögren’s syndrome
• Sinear Usher syndrome
• Rosacea
• Dermatomyositis
• Darier’s disease
• Kindler-Weary syndrome

  Fluorescent lamps

• The inner-ear condition Ménière's disease can be aggravated by flicker. Sufferers of vertigo are recommended to not use fluorescent lights.
• Polymorphous light eruption is a condition affecting the skin thought to be caused by an adverse reaction to ultraviolet light. Its prevalence across Europe is 10-20% of the population. Artificial light sources may provoke the condition, and compact fluorescent light have been shown to produce an eruption.
• Chronic actinic dermatitis is a condition where a subject's skin becomes inflamed due to a reaction to sunlight or artificial light. Its prevalence in Scotland is 16.5 per 100,000 population. There is evidence that compact fluorescent light worsen the condition.
• With the autoimmune disease lupus, chronic exposure to compact fluorescent lamps could possibly be a problem.
• There is evidence that actinic prurigo is worsened by compact fluorescent light. This disease affects 3.3% of the general population.
• 3.1% of the population suffer from solar urticaria, a skin disorder affected by ultraviolet light. Some patients are directly affected by compact fluorescent light.
• Phytophotodermatitis may be aggravated by the additional levels of ultraviolet light emitted by compact fluorescent light.
• Patients undergoing photodynamic therapy are at additional risk of adverse photosensitive reactions caused by compact fluorescent light.
• One cause of cataracts is exposure to ultraviolet light. Provided the level of UV emission from lamps is within safe limits, and the lamp a sufficient distance away from the individual, there should be no increased risk of developing cataracts.
• Photophobia is a symptom of excessive sensitivity to light which affects 5 to 20% of the population. No studies have been conducted into the effect of compact fluorescent light on sufferers of photophobia but there is the possibility for compact fluorescent light to affect sufferers.
• There is evidence that flicker can cause seizures in patients with photosensitive epilepsy, but there has yet to be any evidence to date attributing seizures to compact fluorescent lamps.
• Self-reporting suggests fluorescent lamps aggravate dyslexia.