Embodiments of a backlight module for illuminating a liquid crystal display (LCD) and sensing ambient light are provided herein. The backlight module includes a light-emitting diode (LED) array and a backlight controller. The backlight controller is configured to forward bias the LED array to backlight the LCD and reverse bias the LED array to sense the ambient light level. The backlight controller is configured to adjust the brightness of the LED array based on the current ambient lighting conditions sensed.