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These charts show the spectrum emitted by different kinds of light . The wavelengths of light that have been implicated as both a migraine trigger and most aggravating for photophobia are centered around 480nm , which is blue-green in color .
What ’ s the Treatment for Photophobia and How Does It Work ? No medications target photophobia specifically , but finding an effective treatment for your headache disorder could also reduce your sensitivity to light . Research has found eyewear with precision-tinted FL-41 lenses are the most reliable — and the only side effect-free — way to treat photophobia .
What Does the Research Say about FL-41 ? When worn regularly , precision-tinted FL-41 lenses can reduce the frequency of migraine attacks by filtering the light most likely to be a trigger . In a clinical study of the tint , participants experienced 74 percent fewer migraine attacks per month . Because FL-41 filters the wavelengths that cause the most pain responses for individuals with photophobia , the tinted glasses can provide relief no matter the reason why a person is sensitive to light .
How Do FL-41 Lenses Work ? As mentioned , some wavelengths of light are more likely to activate the eye and brain , causing pain and eyestrain .
Furthermore , fluorescent lights pulse very rapidly . Although that rate is too fast to see consciously , the brain is still receiving the pulsing signals from the eye . This pulsing can trigger headaches , eyestrain , migraine attacks , and other issues . By filtering the wavelengths that contain most of this pulsing and those that cause the most pain and eyestrain , precision-tinted FL-41 lenses protect the brain from both .
Why Not Just Wear Sunglasses ? When you wear sunglasses indoors , your eyes adapt to being in the dark , which makes light appear even brighter than it is . This phenomenon , called chronic dark adaptation , is why my wife ’ s headache specialist advised us that her sunglasses were increasing her sensitivity to light . A similar situation would be leaving a movie theater on a sunny July day — your eyes adjust to being in the dark , so light looks even brighter than before you went into the theater . While most people ’ s eyes readjust to sunlight soon after leaving a movie , those with chronic dark adaptation have extraheightened light sensitivity at all times .
34 HeadWise ® | Volume 6 , Issue 3 • 2017
170767 _ LOT A _ NHF Feb 2017 Vol . 6 Issue 3 . indd 34 2 / 15 / 17 12:48 AM