How come when you are in a dark room or something and then turn the light on your eyes hurt?

Question

How come when you are in a dark room or something and then turn the light on your eyes hurt?

In: Biology

Answer 1

You already have the answer to your question, but here’s what I do to prevent the pain/shock of the lights turning on:

I close my eyes before the lights turn on and open them afterward. I believe our nervous system is accustomed to the light levels changing from dark while our eyes are closed and bright when we open them, so the change doesn’t cause discomfort.

This also works well when you’re turning the lights off.