Migraine And Photosensitivity With Migraine Action

Photosensitivity can be a cause and symptom of migraine. For me it’s both; my photosensitivity causes my migraine, I then become more photosensitive and so the cycle continues. I say migraine in the singular as it started & has never gone away; I just experience fluctuations in intensity. I have basilar type migraine with aura, triggered by lighting, which can cause me to lose consciousness.

Fluorescent, coloured, flashing and flickering lighting are just some of the things that affect me. Patterns, particularly tightly knit ones with vast contrasts in colour (thin strips of black and white or spotting the hidden message in a picture) and text also cause me problems because of the way it creates a pattern on the page.

My migraine started one Christmas. It makes sense looking back – flashing lights and darker days are problems for those of us with photosensitivity. My migraine is always worse during autumn & winter; the contrast between the bright, artificial lights and the lack of natural lighting. However, there are a number of things I do to reduce my exposure to harmful lights that surround me.

Wear a hat

I wear hats A LOT! A brimmed hat cuts out the light from the top of your peripheral vision. It makes shopping easier as it restricts the immediate glare from fluorescent lights that most shops have.

Precision tinted lenses

I wear dark green precision tinted lenses (as you can see from my photo). This colour is prescribed by an optometrist after an Intuitive Colourimetry test. As I’m very sensitive to light, I wear these all the time to reduce the effect certain lighting conditions have on me. Sunglasses may be worth trying, either when you’re out in bright lights or artificial lights. If your migraine causes the photosensitivity (and not the photosensitivity causing the migraine) it may be worth keeping a pair of sunglasses with you to reduce pain and discomfort.

Use an eye mask

Eye masks are great for various reasons; if you’re a passenger in a car, you can pop your eye mask on & cut out the flickering of sunlight through trees, as well as avoid the flashing of coloured lights on emergency services’ vehicles and roadworks vehicles. Masks are also good in storms to cut out the flashes of lightning.

Cover your eyes

Covering your eyes is more effective than closing your eyes. If you close your eyes, they still pick up changes in intensity and colour through the lids. When you cover them, you’re able to block light out entirely. If it’s not safe to cover both eyes, e.g. when you are crossing a road, covering one eye is beneficial as it halves the amount of light you are exposed to.

Check out lighting before you go somewhere

If I haven’t been somewhere before or don’t know what the lighting will be like, I, or someone who knows me well, will check the lighting out. This could be a telephone call to a venue or my Mum checking the lights in a restaurants bathroom to ensure it’ll be safe for me to use them. This may sound extreme, but more toilets are being fitted with blue lights. A number of hand dryers also have blue lights, so they need to be checked too. It’s not ideal, but at least I won’t lose consciousness in the toilets!

If you’re suffering with migraine symptoms, please speak to your GP or other medical professional. Migraine Action are fantastic at providing support & information for sufferers & they’re families. Please don’t ever feel like you are alone.