Are Flashing Lights Causing Your Migraines?

One of the most common symptoms of a migraine headache is sensitivity to light. While the sensitivity level varies from person to person, anything that worsens (or even causes) pain should be avoided as much as possible. This raises a few questions. Firstly, what effect does light have? Secondly, how in the world do you avoid light?

The first thing we need to understand is that not all light is created equal. During a migraine, even the smallest amount of light seems to amplify the pain. In this case, yes, all light will most likely cause worsened pain. At this point, the darkest place you can find is going to be your best bet. What role light plays before an attack, however, is not as easily defined. Enter the often called photosensitive migraine. While not officially it’s own type of migraine, there seems to be a link for many migraine sufferers between the headaches and flashing, or strobed, lights. I have been aware of my own adverse reactions to flashing light from a very young age. My older sister got a strobe light one year, and within minutes of it being on I would develop a raging migraine. Without fail. Even now, places like clubs and Haunted Houses on Halloween conjure fear of blinding pain and violent vomiting. I have also learned to avert or close my eyes during flash sequences on TV to avoid a migraine. So far, these headaches seem fairly easy to prevent, right? The problem for a person suffering from the photosensitive migraine is really what I call “subtle flashes”. The flashing you don’t even realize you’re being exposed to, and it’s in more places than you may believe.

The most common culprit is overhead lighting. The kind of lights that come in those long tubes, and are used in places like Wal-Mart, grocery stores, classrooms, work places, etc. Most people have experienced the very obvious flashes and sputterings of light emitted by these bulbs as they’re burning out. Unfortunately, the thing most people don’t realize is that the bulbs flash the entire time they are on, even when they are brand new. The light sort of runs back and forth within the bulb. To a person with a sensitivity to light, this is the light equivalent of standing beneath a strobe light.

Another common hidden flash is the refresh of a computer screen. This is a very fast blink some screens must do. Many people report migraines from long exposure to a computer screen. Although this is usually attributed to eye strain, I believe, in a photosensitive sufferer, a high refresh rate is more likely to blame.

While these are just two of the most common examples of these hidden flashes, you see how easily you can be exposed to triggers without even taking note of it. Luckily, limiting the time spent under this type of lighting, or wearing tinted glasses can have a a great impact on the frequency and severity of a photosensitive’s migraines. Also, slowing the refresh rate on a computer’s screen is another tip for eliminating subliminal strobing. Any other sources of flashing lights should, obviously, be avoided as well whenever possible.

The goal is simply to be more aware of what effect light has on your migraines before, during, and after an attack. Learning your unique reactions to light, specifically flash sequences, can be a key part of preventative success. Furthermore, with research beginning to link certain types of migraines with seizure disorders, there is no time to waste in learning more about your personal relationship with light. Remember, knowledge is power.

The source of information is the writer’s personal experience.