Photosensitivity ... children of darkness

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One of the more major issues I deal with is my sensitivity to light.
Probably the the most unpleasant kind of weather for me is a bright, sunny, clear blue sky. It feels so barren and exposed, with the sun blasting it's way into every nook and cranny. Glare everywhere, making it difficult to see.
Summertime is my least favorite season.

I love the dark. I love nighttime. It's so soothing and peaceful. I usually try to keep my schedule a nocturnal one.
Indoors, I rarely use overhead, ceiling lights. I prefer small lamps, illuminating only the things I need illuminated. Mostly I keep my home dimly lit. I have no difficulty navigating in low light conditions.

But I live in a world full of these light lovers. "Sunnies" I call them. On those bright, clear days, I hear them gushing on and on about "what a beautiful day it is!".... ugh... give me a break people. I start to feel sick when exposed to the sun for too long, like it's heating my blood and cooking me from the inside.

Any other "children of darkness" around here? Ones with photosensitivity issues like me.

When I was younger I used to walk around looking at the pavement, because sometimes the sky was too bright...what's even worse than sunshine is the white sky you get which is like some shoving a florescent light in your face.

Like when there is a thin layer of upper clouds is diffusing the light to fill the whole sky?

People would always ask me why I walked with my head down. It was so I could see.

I used to live in western New York state, where it gets quite snowy. It is literally BLINDING when the sun came out and the ground was covered with snow. So bright, it hurt.

Yes light sensitivity is really difficult,
Mine is much less in adulthood.
As a child I would be blinded at the beach with the white sand reflecting the light, also on bright days with white concrete on the ground.
Nowadays I find that bright headlights at night are the worst especially when I am trying to drive.
I wear sunglasses everywhere on overcast and rainy days as the sky is white and glary.

I have noticed that the more you shield your eyes from the brightness the more sensitive they become. So if you want to lessen your light sensitivity there are exercises you can do called sunning, (google it) also simply the more time you spend getting used to brighter lights the easier it is.

I know how you feel though the darkness is so soothing.

I like cloudy days best, but in the winter I enjoy having a sunny day to warm me up.

bright lights and sunny days are annoying indeed, give me the late evening/early night to go outside.
i can see and sometimes even read with a spec of light so small that most others dont even see the spec of light itself.

photosentitivety is also the reason i wear jeans and longsleeves on the brighter summerdays; i hate heat but the beams of light hitting unprotected skin are even worse...

I know just what you mean about bright sunny days, pete1061. I walk outside and it feels as though someone has stuck a flashlight right in my face and the only thing I can see is WHITE and I'm virtually blind. It hurts my eyes and makes me headachy. I wear hats and dark glasses, but still my eyes tend to feel 'poached' after spending any time in the sun.

Your post could have described me, OP.
Getting people to understand is so hard.

Down with overhead lighting.

I like the dark.

You won't like the night so much when you get old and develop night blindness from the other cars headlights and you can't go anywhere at night anymore. They make sunglasses, but they don't make affordable night glasses.

Frances

Yes I hate it! It feels like I am walking around in a photograph that was taken in the 70's, everything fades into everything else, it makes me feel physically sick. The most beautiful things in the street become ugly when a certain type of light reflects off of them. When I see the sky covering with clouds I feel much better. I wish I had enough money to move somewhere that's cloudy all the time.

I love cloudy and rainy days, but I live in SoCal.

I just looked out my window. Ugh. It's so bright and sunny today.

This is one characteristic where I seem to differ. I like bright, sunny days. On cloudy days I feel like I am struggling to see things, and I have less motivation. I need sunlight to stimulate me into getting things done.

I also love the longer days of summer because I don't have to manage my time so well, I know I still have hours to go before daylight is over so I can proscrastinate more.

Haha for real.

Your post describes me exactly. I never ever leave my apartment without wearing sunglasses during the day, and I bring them with me at night too for anywhere I'm going that's going to be brightly lit.

When I was a kid, trips to the dentist were hell with the bright lights invariably making my eyes water. I always had to wear sunglasses or the dentists would think I was crying at the tooth pain.

I'm the same way. I live in Oregon and I love the weather here. Don't miss the sun in California at all. Never liked sun. I find it oppressive and obnoxious.

Due to my light sensitivity I am the talk of the local village I live in when it comes to why I always keep my curtains drawn, especially on sunny days. I keep them guessing lol. Gives the gossips something to talk about, otherwise they would not have anything else to do with themselves all day!