Could Your Migraines be Triggered by Light Sensitivity?
According to several studies, the short answer of whether your migraine attacks could be triggered by light sensitivity is yes. In fact, even blind people with no light perception at all may be suffering from light-triggered migraines, even though they can’t see that light. Fortunately, specialty tinted lenses have been proven effective in blocking offending light to reduce migraine frequency.
Yes, You Are More Sensitive to Light
If you experience migraine attacks, you may be keenly aware that you’re more sensitive to bright lights and loud noises than most other people, and science backs up that belief. In fact, it has long been known that migraine sufferers are more likely to experience light and sound sensitivity. For them, this sensitivity is in play even during times when they are headache-free.
In a 1997 study, U.K. researchers compared the responses of 52 migraine sufferers and 48 non-migraine-sufferers while being exposed to increasing levels of light and sound. They found that the migraine patients had significantly lower tolerance for both light and sound than those who don’t experience migraines. Researchers also discovered that this sensitivity tends to increase with age.
Source: Main A, Dowson A, Gross M. Photophobia and phonophobia in migraineurs between attacks. Headache. 1997. 37:492-5. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9329231
Why You May Not Know You’re Light Sensitive
One study from Baylor College of Medicine reveals that light sensitivity (or photophobia) is a major trigger for migraines in many people, but may often go undiagnosed.
But how does this happen? Researchers believe that many patients aren’t actually aware of increased light sensitivity during their migraine episodes. In this study, 85 patients with migraine or probable migraine were asked about light sensitivity. 24 percent of them initially answered that they were not light-sensitive during headaches.
However, after being asked more detailed questions, 93 percent of these sufferers reported that they actually did experience increased light sensitivity. According to researchers, this study highlights the need for more detailed questioning to ensure proper diagnosis — and therefore treatment — of light sensitivity.
Source: Evans RW, Seifert T, Kailasam J, Mathew NT. The use of questions to determine the presence of photophobia and phonophobia during migraine. Headache 2008;48:395-7. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17868350
Light Sensitivity Plays a Big Role in Migraine – Even in the Blind
Even in blind migraine sufferers, research has revealed that the optic nerve plays a major role in transmitting signals that trigger pain. One study of 20 subjects found that 6 blind migraine sufferers without any light perception at all (due to optic nerve damage or removal) were also unaffected by light during their migraine attacks.
This suggests that it’s the retina — not necessarily the optic nerve — that plays a role in migraines, even in eyes that cannot see. Of the 20 participants, the remaining 14 were able to detect bright lights directed at their faces. These patients had significant reactions when light was shone on them during migraine attacks.
Another study from the University of Utah School of Medicine supports the concept that light in fact triggers specific neural pathways that are unrelated to vision. This study was focused on a 68-year-old patient who had been blind for 20 years due to a benign tumor. Although blind, this patient was found to suffer from headaches triggered by light. The researchers hypothesized the patient’s reaction was due to hyperexcitability of the trigeminal nerve, the primary sensory nerve of the head. In other studies, this nerve has been associated with light sensitivity and migraines, though it has nothing to do with sight.
Source: Noseda R, Kainz V, Jakubowski M, Gooley JJ, Saper CB, Digre K, Burstein R. A neural mechanism for exacerbation of headache by light. Nat Neurosci. 2010. 13:239-45. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20062053
Source: Amini A, Digre K, Couldwell WT. Photophobia in a blind patient: An alternate visual pathway. Case report. J Neurosurg. 2006. 105:765-8. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17121141
Precision Tinted Lenses Shown to Provide Relief
Fortunately for migraine sufferers, University of Utah Health Science researchers Dr. Bradley Katz and Dr. Kathleen Digre found that migraine patients are not sensitive to all light wavelengths — just some of them. Another study conducted at Harvard also found that white, blue, amber, and red light all increased migraine headache intensity, whereas green light was found to help.
These studies suggest that specially-tinted lenses can be effective in filtering out the offending types of light, helping people living with migraine light sensitivity. A study on the Avulux Migraine & Light Sensitivity Lens was conducted in the 2010's and was found to be clinically and statistically significant (in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial). These lenses, which have a green/rose hue, are called Avulux lenses and have also been shown to be effective in treating overall light sensitivity in patients with photophobia.
Source: Katz B, Digre K. Diagnosis, Pathophysiology and Treatment of Photophobia. Survey of Ophthalmology. 2016.02.001 www.surveyophthalmol.com/article/S0039-6257(15)30007-2/abstract
But Are Tinted Lenses Your Best Option?
As you can see from the above studies, tinted lenses have been shown to be helpful in filtering the offending light that triggers migraine attacks. However, the color doesn’t matter as much as the wavelengths the lenses block.
Researchers found that that the Avulux lens was better than placebo lenses when it comes to decreasing the effects of light on people with episodic migraine.
79 subjects wore Avulux lenses or clear lenses. This group included subjects with episodic migraine. At the end of the study, researchers found that in migraine headaches with baseline pain scores above or equal to 2, a mixed-effects model suggested that Avulux lenses clinically and statistically significantly helped those migraine subjects.
Targeting the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell to reduce headache pain and light sensitivity in migraine: A randomized double-blind trial
Posternack, Charles et al. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, Volume 113, 22 - 31,
https://www.jocn-journal.com/article/S0967-5868(23)00095-4/abstract
The Confusion Around Migraine Glasses (FL-41 or other)
As the term migraine glasses became more common and more people learned about it, it became a generic term without a concrete definition. Over the years, 'FL-41' has been tacked onto many different types of lenses — some of which are ineffective in helping those with light sensitivity or migraine. Fortunately, a technical advancement was made with the Avulux Migraine & Light Sensitivity Lens, and it is now the only lens that has been proven at the highest clinical standard for people living with migraine light sensitivity. That means that the answer to, "which lens should I try," is: Avulux.
An early project at the University of Utah compared many different generic Fl-41 lenses. Their light transmissions and color vary greatly. Some are red, rust, purple, rose, orange, green, and so on.
Fortunately, the USA made Avulux lenses are made consistently and to tight tolerances. Meaning that every lens purchased will match the lenses used in the clinical trials, unlike FL-41 or other migraine lenses on the market.
A New Lens Emerges
Axon Optics launched in 2011 to create a lens for people with photosensitivity. In 2023, Axon Optics merged with Avulux to offer Axon Optics powered by Avulux Migraine Light Sensitivity lenses. Avulux lenses are consistent, with a tint that does not distort your color perception, and that blocks up to 97% of the most harmful blue, amber, and red light while allowing soothing green light through.
New Avulux lenses for photosensitivity
To counteract the effects of light sensitivity when it comes to migraine headaches, sufferers may want to consider these lenses from Axon Optics that block the most commonly-offending types of light. Shop for them here.
