Photosensitivity in humans in the context of Chronic fatigue syndrome

In the study of visual perception, scotopic vision (or scotopia) is the vision of the eye under low-light conditions. The term comes from the Greek skotos, meaning 'darkness', and -opia, meaning 'a condition of sight'. In the human eye, cone cells are nonfunctional in low visible light. Scotopic vision is produced exclusively through rod cells, which are most sensitive to wavelengths of around 498 nm (blue-green) and are insensitive to wavelengths longer than about 640 nm. Under scotopic conditions, light incident on the retina is not encoded in terms of the spectral power distribution. Higher visual perception occurs under scotopic vision than it does under photopic vision.

Phototoxicity, also called photoirritation, is a chemically induced skin irritation, requiring light, that does not involve the immune system. It is a type of photosensitivity.

The skin response resembles an exaggerated sunburn. The involved chemical may enter into the skin by topical administration, or it may reach the skin via systemic circulation following ingestion or parenteral administration. The chemical needs to be "photoactive," which means that when it absorbs light, the absorbed energy produces molecular changes that cause toxicity. Many synthetic compounds, including drug substances like tetracyclines or fluoroquinolones, are known to cause these effects. Surface contact with some such chemicals causes photodermatitis, and many plants cause phytophotodermatitis. Light-induced toxicity is a common phenomenon in humans; however, it also occurs in other animals.