Migraines and light.
Blog vol 6.49. Migraines and light.
My son plays a game called Magic: The Gathering. This is serious business, with physical cards and live tournaments as well as on-line games and dedicated YouTube channels. My son’s favourite Magic YouTuber is Covertgoblue (CGB) who plays in Arena, an on-line format of the game with an impressive 282,000 subscribers.
CGB suffers from migraines and had to take time off (not good in the online world). Screens all day and more do not help. He sought medical help, tried a variety of medications, and recently got the cool glasses you see in the photo below. These glasses have blue light filters to hopefully reduce the number and intensity of the headaches.
Long before screens became ubiquitous, fluorescent lighting has been linked to headaches since its introduction in the 1930s. This is because of the rapid, invisible-to-the-eye-but-not-the-brain flicker of the light and the particular, triggering blue light wavelengths. A rose-coloured filter for glasses lenses, called an FL-41, was developed in the early 1990s specifically to address light sensitivity in headache prone people. FL-41 stops harmful ultraviolet and high energy blue wavelengths and allows more green light through the lens. A number of products have been developed since, all variations on this type of filtration.
The problem and the help:
1. The cornea, which is highly innervated and has pathways to the trigeminal nerve, is sensitive to shorter wavelengths (blue light).
2. There are also specific cells in the retina, called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), that are believed to be triggered by these shorter wavelengths of light. Activation of ipRGCs may be involved in the pain pathway of light sensitivity.
The response to FL-41 lenses is very subjective, meaning they do not work for everyone. There is much variability in light sources and in filters. Best to come in and try on a pair. At Burlington Eyecare, we have also been working with the Neurolens which works with trigeminal dysphoria (discomfort caused by overstimulation of the visual system) by individualizing the lenses to the specific needs of your eye.
CGB wears orangey-red shades that really standout but seem to be working for him. For his sake, I hope they do help. Migraines are awful.
Interesting aside: one of my favourite artists is Bono of the Irish band U2. He usually sports a pair of orangish-yellow shades. He wears them, not because it makes him look cool, but because he has glaucoma, a neural eye condition that can be dramatically affected by certain wavelengths of light.
So, if you are suffering from migraines or you have some form of glare problem, especially if you spend a lot of time on screens, come in for a consultation. A pair of those cool glasses may be the thing.
Til next week,
The good doctor
