OPTICAL PRISM | FEATURE
40
APPROXIMATELY 40 % OF PEOPLE
%
WITH MIGRAINES EXPERIENCE LIGHT SENSITIVITY BETWEEN MIGRAINE ATTACKS .
why it is common that the first thing a person with migraine does once an attack begins is ‘ seek out a dark room ’;
• Approximately 40 per cent of people with migraines experience light sensitivity between migraine attacks , as the sole symptom ;
• Light sensitivity was also determined to be ‘ the most bothersome migraine symptom ’ ( Migraine in America Symptom and Treatment Study 2018 );
• It is not surprising to expect that filtering light from entering the retina ( the light processing area of the eye ) could lessen the impact of migraine-related light sensitivity ;
• Over the last 10 years , there has been a vast amount of medical research trying to connect the dots between light and migraine . The research has been very consistent with migraine practitioners ’ clinical observations .
This is what we know : Certain wavelengths of light , specifically 480nm and 590nm , aligning with the blue , amber , and red light areas exacerbate light sensitivity and the light sensitivity-related pain experienced by migraine subjects . Some of these wavelengths specifically stimulate certain cells in the retina known as Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells ( ipRGCs ), causing them to secrete the photopigment “ melanopsin .”
42 OPTICAL PRISM | May 2022
This melanopsin then exerts its effect on the pain centre of the brain , the thalamus . It appears to reach the thalamus through the optic nerve . Green light has been shown to have the opposite effect in that it can decrease migraine pain intensity .
Therapeutic Translation : Having the ability to develop a precision optical filter that can block a high percentage of the light emitted at the wavelengths 480nm ( blue ) and 590nm ( amber ) -- while simultaneously allowing through most of the green light should be able to positively impact both light sensitivity and light sensitivity associated migraine pain .
Q : How can ECPs help patients identify migraine and light sensitivity issues ?
A : ECPs are in the unique position to act as a front-line provider for screening and evaluating individuals with light sensitivity and migraine . As they prepare to perform their exams , they can access screening questionnaires that will uncover at-risk patients and begin the conversations regarding treatment options .
Q : How can ECPs help patients treat migraine and light sensitivity issues ?
A : Avulux Migraine Glasses were designed specifically to treat light sensitivity associated with migraine . It is a patented precision optical filter that selectively blocks up to 97 per cent of the most painful wavelengths of light in the blue , amber , and red range , while allowing soothing green light through . Essentially , Avulux follows clinical science . In an independently run , randomized , double-blind clinical trial , Avulux was shown to be both clinically and statistically significant in relieving both migraine headache pain and light sensitivity at two hours post-application , when accounting for all severities of headaches in subjects who followed the study protocol . This is the highest level of scientific validation .
Q : How can an ECP ’ s practice benefit from having a migraine and light sensitivity management program in place ?
A : For ECPs , there are multiple advantages . Firstly , they have the opportunity to become a frontline health care provider in helping to manage one of the most prevalent and disabling medical diseases in the world . There is a great deal of professional satisfaction in that . Secondly , having the ability to sell Avulux offers them a new product with proven success that can provide a higher and more specialized level of care to their patients , create a new revenue stream within their already existing patient population , and even attract a new subset of patients to their practice .
Q : Have you or has someone close to you suffered from migraine or light sensitivity issues ?
A : Absolutely ! Both of my daughters suffer from migraine . In fact , the entire development of Avulux was borne from my role as a distressed parent , feeling inadequate in my ability to help them . That was the major impetus for me to start the long Avulux journey . Obviously , along the way , I had the opportunity to hear the stories of hundreds of migraine sufferers , and experience the incredible satisfaction that comes from being part of an amazing process that culminated in the development of a medical device that would help them lead a better life . OP