Migraines and flashing lights

[Amata]

Hello, does anyone else have problems with flashing rear lights triggering headaches and migraines? I've worked out what I think are my triggers for migraines: stress, drops in air pressure and flashing rear lights. I'm really struggling to ride in groups since I started having migraines a few years back, with the current trend to ride with flashing lights on all the time. I've tried asking people to put lights on constant while I'm in the group but I feel like I'm asking the impossible. It's getting to the point where I feel reluctant to go out in a group even though cycling is not only my exercise but also my social life.

[geocycle]

Not with most rear lights but I do with flashing front lights coming toward me on cycle paths and narrow roads. There are certain frequencies and intensities of rear light that are worse than others but I’ve generally been ok.

[rotavator]

Flashing bike lights annoy me but don't cause my migraines. The main light related trigger for me is when sunlight is reflected off car winscreens as they pass, especially if it is my periferal vision.

[Tangled Metal]

Unfortunately not a lot you can do about photosensitivity as a trigger for migraines no matter what type of light causes you the issue.

In the 36 years since my first, diagnosed migraine attack I've learnt a few truths about migraines. Nobody understands your migraine recertification you, even if they have migraines everyone has their own experience, symptoms, ways to cope, etc. Finding your triggers is ultimately a futile effort because you will have many and won't get them all. If you do find your major triggers you can't always stop them happening. Photosensitivity is a classic example of such a symptom and inability to cut it out of your life. And finally you live with migraine not cure or stop it.

As to photosensitivity, I first noticed it with my school's building of a new block. They put whiteboards in them as a modern, forward looking innovation. Of course sunlight cannot reflect of blackboards as much as whiteboards but hey, schools don't think about migraines, right?! Then there's reflections of sunlight off any surface that reflects a lot and its random flash that might trigger. Car lights flashing as they cube over the crest of a rise.daylight running lights on cars, especially LEDs and ultra bright lights / blue tinged lights. Flashing bike lights. Ultra bright bike lights that aren't dipped to the road or cyclists on pavements with said lights facing the wrong way with them on full while chatting away with a mate! Last one very specific and memorable to me.

Snow. I had a long pause between attacks once with about 5 years of only 1 or 2 attacks until I went skiing and had an absolute humdinger of an attack followed by a nasty cluster of attacks, many of which I'd describe as evil! Attacks that move through from absolutely no hint of a attack coming to full incapacity in less than 30 seconds, then through the various stages in an hour not a afternoon, evening or night.

Sorry if I'm being negative here but IMHO I think it's better to live a healthy, active life and learn to live with migraine than trying to control your life in a attempt I stop getting them. My biggest advice is learn about your attacks right down to any patterns. If you know that at 30 minutes symptom x kicks in, 1.5 hours it ends but your migraine moves on to another level and at x hours the more incapacitating symptoms stay to drop away then you'll have a timescale for when you can recover your life. It's about a positive and forward looking coping strategy when you get attacks. Part of knowing your migraine might reduce triggers and possibly frequency but mostly coping with it.

Sorry about my meandering waffle on the subject of migraines. It's my long earned experience.

[Tangled Metal]

Nearly forgot. I got to see a consultant on pain, headaches and migraines. He gave me the advice about not finding all your triggers, about that attempt being ultimately unsuccessful.

He did write to my employer to explain about my photosensitivity with recommendations about changing the lighting. My employer did change the fluorescent tube in a shiny box type lights. He listed to a subcontractor sparky who had a nickname of "lightning John" partly because of his slow work pace but also because he often made the mistake of electrocution from power boxes he'd not isolated before sticking a screwdriver into. This guy told my boss that it's the rapid flickering of the tubes that was the issue. I told them both it wasn't that but was direct reflection of the light off my computer monitor. A cheap insert into the box the tubes were in effectively prevents the angle of direct light being able to hit the monitor. But no, they took them out and put in flickering, direct, spotlights that pointed to pretty much every reflective surface in the shares office. Basically a lot worse!

I solved the issue by turning my desk around so my back and monitor faced the wall. It helped but i still got the early spring, late autumn clusters due to low sun levels

[axel_knutt]

Rear lights don't bother me, but I can't use my own front light in flash mode unless there are street lights to reduce the contrast, otherwise it makes me feel as if I'm about to have a fit. The harder I've been exercising the worse it is. I get ocular migraines (visual aura without a headache), which are more of a curiosity than a quality of life issue, however, I have noticed that fatigue and physical exertion also have a dramatic effect on the frequency of those as well. During one period after overtraining the incidence of OMs increased 50 fold. My ablation also tripled the number of OMs I get, but that's a well-known side effect.

[Amata]

Cheers for the replies. I have realised that other flickering lights such a low sun through bare hedges don't help but that's not too often, just a couple of days in the year if I'm unlucky. It's the fact that I'm riding in a group with others who insist on not only having lights on during the daytime but flashing ones and the brighter the light the higher the likelihood of a headache or migraine. I was wondering if anyone has been met with the same lack of empathy as I have. One kind suggestion was that I need to ride in front of everybody and another to wear sunglasses. Asking for the lights to set to steady, let alone off seems to be a touchy question and I've kind of given up. A couple of people have been kind enough to set their lights to steady or don't have their lights on at all but when there's several others in the group who do neither... I spend the ride trying to dodge them and stay behind one of those with no lights.

[Tangled Metal]

https://www.theraspecs.com/blog/what-is ... nsitivity/

FL41 tinted glasses. Filters two light frequencies that are linked with photosensitivity. By only filtering those frequencies out you are not increasing photosensitivity like you do with dark sunglasses when you take them off.

These were originally developed by an academic at Birmingham University I believe to help some students. Later a USA University joined in with some trials and found a very significant positive effect. Now commonly available from speciality opticians. You will not get these at specsavers only a generic blue tint not the specific FL41 tinted needed. Theraspecs is the global market leader in such glasses.

If light sensitivity is an issue and other options do not help sufficiently try these glasses.

Good luck and please review them on here if you get a pair.

[Jdsk]

FL41 tinted glasses. Filters two light frequencies that are linked with photosensitivity. By only filtering those frequencies out you are not increasing photosensitivity like you do with dark sunglasses when you take them off.

These were originally developed by an academic at Birmingham University I believe to help some students. Later a USA University joined in with some trials and found a very significant positive effect.

I've done a quick search and can't find any relevant trials in migraine.

Have you got a source for those trials, please?

(I suspect that the University in the USA might be a reference to https://healthcare.utah.edu/moran/optom ... lenses.php)

Thanks

Jonathan

[Tangled Metal]

Sorry, read and move on. Try searching migraine forums and sites. It's likely I got the details from there and went down the rabbit warren of information for a hour or so. Often the most interesting sources of information comes via posts on the relevant forum for sufferers, cycling addiction too!

All I recall was a bit of research from Birmingham University but later on it got picked up by a few American universities including Utah which did a lot with patient groups iirc back in the 80s or 90s I think.

Sorry very vague but if you can't get to the research, possibly because it's a good few years back, there's certainly loads of anecdotal information on these lenses. Certainly enough to try them out if the op can't find an easier option.

There's a few companies offering these on a no quibble money back guarantee if you don't get on with them. Iirc the one I looked at took your money and gave you 30 days trial with the option to get your money back including delivery. They were confident enough with how well they work to feel confident that guarantee isn't used often.

[Jdsk]

Sorry, read and move on. Try searching migraine forums and sites. It's likely I got the details from there and went down the rabbit warren of information for a hour or so. Often the most interesting sources of information comes via posts on the relevant forum for sufferers, cycling addiction too!

All I recall was a bit of research from Birmingham University but later on it got picked up by a few American universities including Utah which did a lot with patient groups iirc back in the 80s or 90s I think.

Sorry very vague but if you can't get to the research, possibly because it's a good few years back, there's certainly loads of anecdotal information on these lenses.

It looks as if there aren't any published studies. There's a vast amount on the Web but it's overwhelmingly commercial and highly repetitive and without sources.

Even the University of Utah doesn't cite any studies but does sell the lenses:
https://healthcare.utah.edu/moran/optom ... lenses.php

I've written to the Birmingham and Midlands Eye Centre to ask.

Jonathan

[axel_knutt]

The Nightlight function on Windows 10 that takes the blue light out of the screen makes my eyes feel like someone's thrown a handful of dust in them. It took a few months of streaming eyes before I noticed that the problem always occurred 15-20 mins after Nightlight switched on, and that it wasn't just my eyes getting tired. It sounded like a good idea, but.......

[Tangled Metal]

No idea but there was an academic study, summary section at the start I read, just no idea where. About 4 years ago my attacks took a nasty change in character and I looked into what was available. About the time when new drugs developed specifically for migraine were coming out just not NICE approved. So I found out about FL41 lenses. It wasn't a solution due to high prescription I have but still it seems to work for some.

Iirc one report was for photosensitive sufferers but other one was less specific with condition the cohort had

[Jdsk]

No idea but there was an academic study, summary section at the start I read, just no idea where. About 4 years ago my attacks took a nasty change in character and I looked into what was available. About the time when new drugs developed specifically for migraine were coming out just not NICE approved. So I found out about FL41 lenses. It wasn't a solution due to high prescription I have but still it seems to work for some.

Iirc one report was for photosensitive sufferers but other one was less specific with condition the cohort had

There are studies in other conditions such as blepharospasm, but we're discussing migraine,

Jonathan

[Tangled Metal]

[url]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28652355/[/url]

Aiui the BEB studies were used to study light sensitivity following earlier indications that FL41 helped with it in migraine sufferers. I think the idea was that BEB is easier to study than more complex migraine. Maybe fewer triggers and easier testing protocols. Whatever the reason it was an easier condition to study wrt filters for certain wavelengths of light.

The research I read went into wavelengths that affect migraine sensitivity and the development of better filters. The change from red/brown to a more rosy tint came out of this research. I can't recall much of the details but typical control group, changeover tests like in the attached and BEB research.

I think within most of the BEB research mention of migraines and general photosensitivity is mentioned. I recall mention of a possible mechanism for it that would be present in BEB and migraine sufferers that suffered with light issues.

For the sake of a £65 refundable payment I suspect most photosensitive migraine sufferers will think it's worth the punt. It's simply not a condition that you can fully understand without suffering from it imho. I've had enough dealings with doctors, GPs and consultants to be certain of that. If even a pain or headache specialist can't get it...