Is Fluorescent Lighting Causing My Migraines?

If you’re anything like about 18 million Americans, you suffer from migraine headaches. A migraine usually includes such symptoms as a pounding headache, nausea, vomiting, and light sensitivity. It is relatively easy to diagnose migraines, but figuring out what the triggers are for your migraines can be much more difficult.

Migraines can be caused by tension, food sensitivity, eating patterns, smells, noises, hormones, allergies, and sinus problems. On top of those possible triggers, many migraine sufferers find that light-sensitivity, especially to fluorescent lighting, can be the most frequent trigger for a headache.

Older fluorescent lights, many of which are still commonly found in offices and other workplaces, emit a higher amount of blue light than other forms of illumination. Dr. Andrew Hershey, director of the headache center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and one of the nation’s top experts in pediatric migraines, told The New York Times that a particular wavelength of light called blue light may be a greater trigger for migraines.

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Irlen Syndrom migraines

In some cases, this photosensitivity can be caused by the Irlen Syndrome, a perceptual processing disorder that reduces the brain’s ability to process specific wavelengths of light. If you believe that fluorescent lighting might be triggering your migraine headaches, it is important to evaluate your headache patterns and find out for certain. Taking a self-test to determine whether your headaches might be caused by lighting is an important first step. Next, of course, you should get a proper diagnosis of your migraine headaches and begin tracking when you feel the symptoms first beginning.

Migraines caused by glare

Another common trigger for migraines is the glare caused by the over-illumination of fluorescent lighting. This level of illumination can cause eyestrain, which leads to visual fatigue and can occasionally cause headaches and trigger migraines. The glare becomes even worse when working in front of a computer screen because the light reflects off all of the surfaces, including your computer monitor.

How to treat fluorescent light migraines

So, what do you do if you determine that fluorescent lighting is causing your migraines? The good news is that newer fluorescent bulbs don’t emit as much blue light as older fixtures did. Instead, newer lights emit more diffused light with a tendency towards looking pinkish orange instead of blue. Making sure your fluorescent lights are the newer variety is important, but even more effective is the use of fluorescent light filters.

NaturaLux™ fluorescent light filters provide relief for your eyes from the constant strain of fluorescent light glare. This relief allows you to concentrate better, read with less strain, and increase your productivity. NaturaLux fluorescent light filters remove 100 percent of the glare caused by fluorescent lights.

Full spectrum light

Our light filters also provide full spectrum light in a more cost-effective manner than using full spectrum light bulbs. NaturaLux filters also provide you with all of the benefits of natural sunlight, without the damaging and painful ultraviolet radiation. The end result is a form of lighting that is far less likely to trigger a migraine headache.

Update for 2018

LED Migraines

With the recent surge in economical LED lighting as a replacement to fluorescent lighting, migraine sufferers report LEDs may be even worse. Read this article from Scientific American on LED and migraines.

Related Articles

http://brainblogger.com/2012/12/19/do-fluorescent-lights-give-you-headaches-youre-not-alone/

https://askjan.org/disabilities/Migraines.cfm

http://www.wikihow.com/Manage-Migraines-in-Fluorescent-Lighting (look at step #1)