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Optometric function in visually sensitive migraine before and after treatment with tinted spectacles
B J W Evans1, R Patel, A J Wilkins
1The Institute of Optometry, London, UK. bruce.evans@virgin.net
Summary
Patients with migraine may experience visual hypersensitivity. Individually prescribed colored filters effectively reduced pattern glare and symptoms in a study, suggesting a potential treatment for visual triggers in migraine.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neuroscience
- Optometry
Background:
- Migraine patients often report visual stimuli triggering headaches.
- Evidence-based research on visual triggers and treatments for migraine is limited.
- Colored filters are hypothesized to help migraineurs with visual hypersensitivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the optometric characteristics of migraine patients.
- To identify visual factors contributing to migraine symptoms.
- To evaluate the efficacy of tinted lenses in managing visual stimuli in migraine.
Main Methods:
- Compared 21 migraine patients with 11 controls.
- Assessed refractive error, ocular pathology, color vision, contrast sensitivity, accommodation, and phoria.
- Investigated the impact of precision tinted and control tinted lenses on pattern glare.
Main Results:
- No significant differences found in most optometric parameters between migraineurs and controls.
- Migraine group showed increased susceptibility to pattern glare (p = 0.004).
- Tinted lenses significantly improved pattern glare in the migraine group.
Conclusions:
- Migraine patients exhibit normal optometric characteristics but are more prone to pattern glare.
- Individually prescribed colored filters may alleviate cortical hyperexcitability and pattern glare.
- Tinted lenses show promise as a treatment for visual stimulus-induced migraine symptoms.