One of the most common symptoms of migraines is photophobia, or hypersensitivity to light. Bright lights, changes in light levels, and sunlight can trigger an attack in some people and exacerbate the discomfort of a migraine once it takes hold. One strategy for managing photophobia is to wear glasses or sunglasses, particularly those with a specific tint to the lenses.
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About 80 percent of people with migraines have photophobia, according to theAmerican Academy of Opthalmology. While light sensitivity is at its worst before and during a migraine, many migraine patients are more sensitive to lightbetweenmigraine episodes than are other people—and those who havechronic migrainesare more light-sensitive than those with episodic migraines.
How Light Triggers Migraines
Photophobia is a neurological issue that involves communication between receptors in the eye and the brain.Migraine patients appear to have a hyperexcitable occipital lobe—the visual processing center in the brain that increases sensitivity to light.
The brighter the light, the more discomfort or pain you probably feel.The wavelength or color of the light also plays a role.Blue-green light—the type found in digital screens, fluorescent lights, and in the UV rays in sunlight—tends to trigger photophobia more than other colors.
Light and Your Migraines
What to Look for When Shopping for Glasses
Onestudylooked at a group of children who wore either FL-41 or generic blue-tinted eyewear for four months. Those who wore FL-41 experienced sustained relief in the overall frequency, duration, and intensity of their migraine attacks and had 74 percent fewer attacks overall.
Anotherstudycompared the tint with gray-colored lenses and found light-sensitive participants to have less sensitivity to overall light as well as fluorescent lighting while wearing FL-41 lenses.
FL-41 tinted lenses can be used for indoor glasses, sunglasses, and prescription lenses.
Sunglasses with dark, polarized lenses (with or without FL-41) are another good option for bright sunlight, as they reduce scattered light, which causes glare.
Wraparound frames can shield your eyes from the effects of light on your peripheral vision as well. (Note that wearing sunglasses indoors is not a good idea and can actually make you more light-sensitive over time.)
A Word From Verywell
The migraine-averting benefits of the right glasses will likely provide you with enough of a reason to purchase a decent pair and wear them. Keep in mind that it’s important to wear sunglasses regularly to protect your eyes from other problems as well. Ultraviolet rays (both UVA and UVB) are a known cause ofcataracts,macular degeneration, and other forms of eye damage.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Burstein R, Noseda R, Fulton AB.Neurobiology of Photophobia.J Neuroophthalmol. 2019;39(1):94-102. doi:10.1097/WNO.0000000000000766Matt E, Aslan T, Amini A, et al.Avoid or seek light – a randomized crossover fMRI study investigating opposing treatment strategies for photophobia in migraine.J Headache Pain. 2022;23(1):99. doi:10.1186/s10194-022-01466-0Zivcevska M, Lei S, Blakeman A, Goltz HC, Wong AMF.A novel visual psychometric test for light-induced discomfort using red and blue light stimuli under binocular and monocular viewing conditions.Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59(3):1467. doi:10.1167/iovs.17-23526American Migraine Foundation.Photophobia (light sensitivity) and migraine.Additional ReadingAmerican Association of Opthalmology.Photophobia: Looking for Causes and Solutions. https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/photophobia-looking-causes-solutions?novemberdecember-2005Blackburn, M, et al.FL-41 Tint Improves Blink Frequency, Light Sensitivity, and Functional Limitations in Patients with Benign Essential Blepharospasm.Ophthalmology. 2009 May; 116(5): 997–1001. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2008.12.031Good, PA, et. al.The Use of Tinted Glasses in Childhood Migraine.Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain31(8):533 - 536 1991 doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.1991.hed3108533.x
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Burstein R, Noseda R, Fulton AB.Neurobiology of Photophobia.J Neuroophthalmol. 2019;39(1):94-102. doi:10.1097/WNO.0000000000000766Matt E, Aslan T, Amini A, et al.Avoid or seek light – a randomized crossover fMRI study investigating opposing treatment strategies for photophobia in migraine.J Headache Pain. 2022;23(1):99. doi:10.1186/s10194-022-01466-0Zivcevska M, Lei S, Blakeman A, Goltz HC, Wong AMF.A novel visual psychometric test for light-induced discomfort using red and blue light stimuli under binocular and monocular viewing conditions.Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59(3):1467. doi:10.1167/iovs.17-23526American Migraine Foundation.Photophobia (light sensitivity) and migraine.Additional ReadingAmerican Association of Opthalmology.Photophobia: Looking for Causes and Solutions. https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/photophobia-looking-causes-solutions?novemberdecember-2005Blackburn, M, et al.FL-41 Tint Improves Blink Frequency, Light Sensitivity, and Functional Limitations in Patients with Benign Essential Blepharospasm.Ophthalmology. 2009 May; 116(5): 997–1001. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2008.12.031Good, PA, et. al.The Use of Tinted Glasses in Childhood Migraine.Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain31(8):533 - 536 1991 doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.1991.hed3108533.x
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Burstein R, Noseda R, Fulton AB.Neurobiology of Photophobia.J Neuroophthalmol. 2019;39(1):94-102. doi:10.1097/WNO.0000000000000766Matt E, Aslan T, Amini A, et al.Avoid or seek light – a randomized crossover fMRI study investigating opposing treatment strategies for photophobia in migraine.J Headache Pain. 2022;23(1):99. doi:10.1186/s10194-022-01466-0Zivcevska M, Lei S, Blakeman A, Goltz HC, Wong AMF.A novel visual psychometric test for light-induced discomfort using red and blue light stimuli under binocular and monocular viewing conditions.Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59(3):1467. doi:10.1167/iovs.17-23526American Migraine Foundation.Photophobia (light sensitivity) and migraine.
Burstein R, Noseda R, Fulton AB.Neurobiology of Photophobia.J Neuroophthalmol. 2019;39(1):94-102. doi:10.1097/WNO.0000000000000766
Matt E, Aslan T, Amini A, et al.Avoid or seek light – a randomized crossover fMRI study investigating opposing treatment strategies for photophobia in migraine.J Headache Pain. 2022;23(1):99. doi:10.1186/s10194-022-01466-0
Zivcevska M, Lei S, Blakeman A, Goltz HC, Wong AMF.A novel visual psychometric test for light-induced discomfort using red and blue light stimuli under binocular and monocular viewing conditions.Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59(3):1467. doi:10.1167/iovs.17-23526
American Migraine Foundation.Photophobia (light sensitivity) and migraine.
American Association of Opthalmology.Photophobia: Looking for Causes and Solutions. https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/photophobia-looking-causes-solutions?novemberdecember-2005Blackburn, M, et al.FL-41 Tint Improves Blink Frequency, Light Sensitivity, and Functional Limitations in Patients with Benign Essential Blepharospasm.Ophthalmology. 2009 May; 116(5): 997–1001. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2008.12.031Good, PA, et. al.The Use of Tinted Glasses in Childhood Migraine.Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain31(8):533 - 536 1991 doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.1991.hed3108533.x
American Association of Opthalmology.Photophobia: Looking for Causes and Solutions. https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/photophobia-looking-causes-solutions?novemberdecember-2005
Blackburn, M, et al.FL-41 Tint Improves Blink Frequency, Light Sensitivity, and Functional Limitations in Patients with Benign Essential Blepharospasm.Ophthalmology. 2009 May; 116(5): 997–1001. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2008.12.031
Good, PA, et. al.The Use of Tinted Glasses in Childhood Migraine.Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain31(8):533 - 536 1991 doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.1991.hed3108533.x
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