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What Do Migraineurs and Movie Stars Have in Common?

September 5th, 2008

Good looks?  Great personalities?  Multi-million dollar incomes?  Well….  Actually I was talking about
shades.  Great big stunner shades.  Jackie O glasses.  Bright light being one of the biggest Migraine triggers, a good pair of dark sunglasses is a must for a Migraineur.  Many of us really can’t be outside without them.  Some of us even wear them inside.  I don’t find that necessary most of the time, but during an active Migraine attack I’ve been known to wear them indoors.

What should you look for in a good pair of sunglasses?  Do:

• Try them on!  They need to block light coming into your eyes from every direction, especially above.
• It’s also important to try them on to be sure they stay on without putting pressure on your head.  You don’t need to avoid the glare trigger and then get a Migraine from having your temples squeezed!
• The lenses need to be dark enough.  You won’t know that unless you step out into the bright sun with them on.
• Get them polarized.  This cuts glare way down.
• If you can, get an anti-reflective coating on them.  This also cuts down on the reflection and glare coming into your eyes.

I also have a Don’t for you:

• Don’t get Transitions-type lenses!  (Or at least, don’t think of them as a substitute for real sunglasses.)  These are the lenses that darken in sunlight.

Why not?  A year ago I got transitions lenses on my regular glasses.  Here they are, barely darkened in the
bright light on the deck (notice the squinting!):
They never get as dark as most of us will need.  They won’t darken at all unless there is UV light shining directly on them, which means that if your car has UV blocking glass (as most do these days), they will never darken in the car, no matter how bright the sun and glare you have coming into your eyes.  The optician was very annoyed that the opthomologist had recommended them!

I bought a good pair of prescription sunglasses this year, since I can’t manage contact lenses (another set of Migraine triggers involved for me).  They were about 5 times more expensive than any sunglasses I’ve ever bought, but they should last 5 years.   As long as I don’t lose them!  And look how glamorous they make me.

– Megan Oltman
I hear Hollywood calling!

Tags: glare, Migraine trigger, sunglasses, sunshine
Posted in Tips & Techniques | Comments (3)