Why you should consider migraine glasses – a specialist speaks

Migraine in the workplace
It starts with light
Difference between photophobia and light frequency hypersensitivity
Medical filters
Filter lenses work better
The right lens for photophobia and migraine

Specialist speaks - Martin Heemskerk

In light of a serious topic such as migraines, Ergowerken is pleased to give the floor to a specialist. Martin Heemskerk, an optical specialist with 15 years of professional experience and founder of B2B Eye Care, is the ideal person for this.

Migraines in the workplace

Many people with migraine or severe headaches often suffer from external overstimulation. This can be caused by stress, lack of sleep, too much noise, and so on. Ultimately, the problem arises from the overstimulation of the organs and brain. Many people also suffer from photophobia, also known as light sensitivity. Simply put, this means that they are hypersensitive to light. The sensitivity to this can vary enormously.

Where one person experiences discomfort from very bright light such as fluorescent lights, computer monitors and sunlight, another cannot tolerate any form of light at all.

As with migraine, light sensitivity comes in many forms. In the workplace, you often have to deal with bright light sources such as monitors and fluorescent lights, sometimes for long periods of time. The question I would like to answer for you now is: can migraine glasses be used effectively against photophobia?

It starts with light

Light can best be described as a form of electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the eye. Some of it is not visible, however, and is known as:

Gamma rays
X-rays
Ultraviolet light (UV-C, UV-B and UV-A)
Infrared
Microwaves
Radio waves
Visible light (400 nm to 700 nm)

UV light is not good for your eyes, which is why most sunglasses and regular glasses filter it out as standard.

We assume that UV sensitivity stops at around 400 nm for everyone. Unfortunately, we are not all created equal, and this can also be caused by trauma to the eye or head. As a result, some people are more bothered by visible light than others. This can manifest itself in many different ways. Some of the most common are:

Burning/watery eyes
Neck and forehead tension due to squinting
Disturbed sleep due to disruption of melatonin production
Headaches due to photophobia
Headaches due to light frequency hypersensitivity

What is the difference between photophobia and light frequency hypersensitivity (LFO)?

Photophobia is related to the amount of light.

Think of sunglasses, for example. Standard sunglasses block 85% of light. This means that all frequencies between 400 nm and 700 nm are reduced by 85%, leaving only 15% of visible light.

Light frequency hypersensitivity has to do with specific light frequencies. In the case of light frequency hypersensitivity, we remove a certain frequency from the visible light spectrum, or partially absorb it. Standard sunglasses lenses are not used for this purpose. We use filter lenses for this specific type of filtering. Filter lenses come in many different frequencies and absorptions. It just depends on what the person needs.

Werking van filterglazen op lichtfrequenties

Medical filters

There are numerous causes of light sensitivity. Some well-known causes are:

Damage to the retina
Thickening of the vitreous humour in your eye
Eye conditions such as glaucoma
Or simply sensitivity to too much light

The result for your eye is that a disturbance can occur that causes strange things to happen with light. Light is no longer processed correctly within the eye, causing it to break up. The colours indigo and violet in particular cause irritation, which affects the nerves and brain.

Most sunglasses work well against this, which is why people with photophobia and migraines often wear them.

They are effective, but not completely. Sunglasses only dim the light and do not filter it. Sunglasses are therefore not the best choice, as you want to filter out the light that causes irritation before it comes into contact with the eye. In addition, sunglasses are too dark for many situations.

Filter lenses work better

Glasses with filter lenses appear to work much better because they completely filter out certain colours from the colour spectrum. These medical filters are used, among other things, for people with blepharospasm (eyelid contraction).

There are also filter lenses that work extremely well but are not labelled 'medical'. These include FL-41 lenses, also known as comfort lenses. Pilots and drivers were already using comfort lenses with yellow glass for night work in the 1970s. The contrast-enhancing effect enabled them to see better in the dark.

In the years that followed, computers became increasingly common. The blue light emitted mainly by monitors proved to cause a lot of irritation. The glasses that were later developed for this purpose filtered out the blue light.

The right lens for photophobia and migraines

The light that causes the highest sensitivity is between blue/green and green/yellow. The lens that best filters these colours is the FL-41 lens.

Red and yellow are largely retained, so you maintain good contrast. The lenses are easy to obtain, come in standard glasses but can also be fitted into your own frames (prescription).

Werking FL-41 filter op lichtfrequenties

I always say that migraine glasses with FL 41 lenses are an aid. So don't expect your symptoms to disappear immediately or to disappear 100%. However, you should notice a positive difference, so if you suffer from photophobia or migraines, I definitely recommend migraine glasses.

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