Photosensitivity - Light Sensitive Drugs - Learning Objectives
2000 different medications are light reactive
Medications can react to light, increasing skin sensitivity and affecting potency.
Research the drugs you take before spending time with exposure to bright light indoors or outdoors. 
There are many types of Photosensitivity
1. Your body becomes more sensitive to light from medication or health conditions.
In phototoxic reactions, the drug may become activated by exposure to sunlight and cause damage to the skin.
2. Your medications can react to light.
In photoallergic reactions, the ultraviolet exposure changes the structure of the drug so that is seen by the body's immune system as an invader (antigen).
3. Your medications activate to specific wavelengths.
A new technique that uses light to activate chemotherapy drugs in specific cells shows promise as a way to improve the effectiveness of cancer therapies while preventing severe side effects, according to a study published July 9, 2015 in Cell. 
UV, why is it important?
Your skin is your biggest organ! Your skin is sensitive to light, medications can alter this sensitivity, and light can alter the efficacy of the drug.
Eye protection is important, Ophthalmologists recommend that you wear 99 percent and higher UV (ultraviolet radiation)-absorbent sunglasses and a brimmed hat whenever you're in the sun for long periods of time. Proper sunglasses are key to protecting your eyes from sun-related damage, and they should be worn anytime you are outdoors, particularly under these circumstances:
Snow, water, high elevations increase exposure to light.
Medications may speed up the metabolism of vitamin D, causing a deficiency.
Red Light Therapy, Sunglasses, Vision & Aging Eye