A Teignmouth schoolboy has had his life turned upside down by a rare condition that means he is allergic to sunlight. Ben Ridings, eight, comes out in burning blisters and swelling if he goes out in the heat of the day. Parents Eddie and Terri have to go through a routine day and night to protect the youngster. He has to wear factor 60 sunscreen all the time, even under his clothes and wear UV protective clothing. It means that he cannot be out between 11am and 3pm, a restriction that means he has to be taught at home in the afternoons. Night-times are painful for Ben. He has to be slathered in three sets of cream, with wet pyjamas and then dry pyjamas. Socks have to be tied to his feet to stop him scratching at the itchy blisters. Mum Terri said: 'It takes more than an hour to get him ready for bed and it isn't nice for him. 'But we try our best to make it fun, so the mask he has to wear is like Jar Jar Binks.' Though the routine is arduous and the implications overwhelming, the family, who also have an 11-year-old son Thomas, are just relieved to have the diagnosis of Actinic Prurigo. For two years, doctors thought that Ben was suffering from eczema and it was a chance meeting with a doctor who offered them another opinion. Ben had to undergo tests at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, that confirmed the rare condition. 'It was a big relief to find out what was wrong with me,' said Ben. 'For years, Ben thought it was his fault that his skin was painful. He thought it was because he had been naughty,' said Mrs Ridings 'But now, he can understand that it is not his fault and it means, of course, that we know how to treat it now,' she said. But that doesn't stop school mate's taunts and nasty reactions in the street. 'Some parents scoop their children away when they see Ben, or worse, they think that I have burnt him. 'They think it is some sort of lurgy, but it is not contagious,' she said. Ben's self-esteem has taken a battering. He doesn't like to see himself in the mirror and will often have temper tantrums because of the physical pain and frustration. 'For a while he became very reclusive and did not want to go to school. He even said that he should throw himself from Shaldon bridge. 'He is normally a very happy, bright lad and it is horrible to hear him talk like that. 'But team-mates at Broadmeadow Football Club are so used to Ben's appearance now, they don't even see it,' said dad Eddie. 'They treat him like any other lad,' he said. For now, Mr Ridings has had to give up work to home tutor Ben in the afternoons. The couple say that Ben's school, Shaldon Primary, has coped well with Ben's mood swings and class work difficulties. Sometimes his hands are so swollen that he cannot hold a pen. The future is an unknown for the family. The condition is so rare that there is no telling when and if it will clear. 'We have been blown away by it, and we just have to sort out what works and what doesn't,' said Mrs Ridings. 'There is so much to think about, like family holidays, tinted windows on the car and what happens when he's older. 'We just have to let this sink in,' she said.