Books & Products, Triggers

Fluorescent Lights and Migraine Attacks

fluorescent light migraineJust a day after I got caught out without ear plugs, I exposed myself to another migraine trigger common in public spaces — fluorescent lights. I am never without TheraSpecs, but I occasionally take them off for a few seconds when I need confirm an exact color match (like choosing embroidery floss). That’s what I intended to do, but got so absorbed in what I was doing that I left them off for 10 minutes.

Lo and behold, a migraine began with a spate of icky symptoms — dizziness, disorientation, nausea, wooziness and irritability. I was unhappy about the migraine, but was pleased by the illustration of just how effective indoor TheraSpecs are.

Because I wear TheraSpecs all the time, it has been so long since fluorescent lights have triggered a migraine for me that I forgot just how quickly a severe migraine follows exposure. The difference really is astonishing. Of course I knew the improvement was dramatic — Hart and I wouldn’t have started TheraSpecs if it weren’t — but I hadn’t experienced it in so long that I’d forgotten just how big the change is.

So many triggers are impossible to avoid that it’s such a relief to find a way to ward off any of them. With ear plugs and TheraSpecs, I have two of the three major triggers covered… if only I could find something to get rid of smells in stores.

Books & Products, Coping, Treatment, Triggers

Migraine Light Sensitivity and Fluorescent Light Headaches

National Migraine Awareness Month Blog Challenge, Day 8: “Let there be light.” Most migraineurs have issues with light sensitivity. What do you do to cope with it?

Well, this one is easy for me: TheraSpecs migraine glasses! TheraSpecs was born after my headache specialist warned me that wearing sunglasses all the time was actually making my eyes more sensitive to light and that a special precision tint was available for glasses that would help with photophobia without increasing my over all light sensitivity. Researching that information, we found that this tint is also excellent for managing sensitivity to fluorescent light.

Many people report headaches from fluorescent lights, either in the long tubes like you see at stores or CFLs for home use. It appears the problem is that fluorescent lights flicker faster than the eye can consciously see, but the brain still picks up on that flicker, which can cause many people to feel sick. TheraSpecs protect the eyes and brain by filtering out the wavelengths of light where the flicker is concentrated, relieving the symptoms fluorescent lights can cause.

Learn more about TheraSpecs and get your own pair (and relief) today! US shipping is free and international shipping is half off through Friday, June 15 in honor of National Migraine Awareness Month light sensitivity day.

National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation. The Blogger’s Challenge is initiated by Fighting Headache Disorders.

Books & Products, Coping, Friends & Family, Treatment, Triggers

TheraSpecs, a Labor of Love

When Hart first posted about TheraSpecs on Facebook, his sister referred to the company as her brother’s labor of love. I get a little teary when I think about how apt this description is. (Warning: This is the gushiest post I’ve ever written!)

TheraSpecs got rolling because Hart wanted me to have better precision-tinted glasses to ease my photophobia and enable me to be under fluorescent lighting without it triggering a migraine attack. When the glasses worked so well for me, he had some more made for other migraineurs we know. When those folks gave great feedback, he knew he had to make a go of making them available to everyone with migraine and photophobia. These glasses — this business — came from my sweet husband’s desire to see me suffer less.

This labor of love for me also demonstrates his great compassion and desire to relieve the suffering of others. “But most of all, we very much hope that your own search for relief is a success—with or without TheraSpecs” is the last sentence on the TheraSpecs homepage. I love that Hart wrote this. I love that he truly wants everyone who is looking at the site to find migraine relief for themselves or their loved ones, whether they purchase our product or not.

Remembering the love that’s behind the product helps ease the stress of starting a new company, of knowing our livelihood depends on its success. There is excitement and exhilaration in starting something new, but it is primarily terrifying.

I alternate between saying that TheraSpecs is “our company” and that it is “Hart’s company.” I was obviously the inspiration for it and I’m the one with contacts in the headache and migraine world; I also work on it as much as I am able. But Hart’s the one who has poured himself into the research and production of the products as well as undertaking all the work necessary to get a business going. Though I give plenty of input, he’s ultimately the one making the Big Decisions.

The excellent reviews from other headache bloggers (Inner Dorothy, Somebody Heal Me, Migraine and Other Headache Disorders, Headache and Migraine News) all mention that my husband and I have started TheraSpecs. This is absolutely true, though I don’t want to take more credit than I deserve. My kind, loving, supportive husband is truly the force behind the company and I want everyone to know how awesome he is. (Finished gushing now.)

P.S. Keep up with TheraSpecs on Facebook and Twitter!

Books & Products, Community, Coping, Favorites, News & Research, Treatment

TheraSpecs FL-41 Glasses Now Available

TheraSpecs Logo

TheraSpecs, the company Hart and I have started, is now open for business selling precision-tinted therapeutic glasses! Clinical research shows they can reduce the frequency of migraine attacks, relieve sensitivity to light during a migraine, protect you from light-triggered migraines (especially from fluorescent lights and CFLs), and reduce headaches and eyestrain. They are available in both an indoor tint and a darker polarized tint for outdoor use.

Learn more or order your own pair at TheraSpecs.com.

Books & Products, Coping, News & Research, Treatment

Big News for Relief From Photophobia & Sensitivity to Fluorescent Lighting (CFLs)

I have big news today! I’ve mentioned a couple times that I’m able to blog again in part thanks to some special glasses. Hart had them made for me based on a recommendation from my headache specialist and a bunch of research he read. They’ve been so helpful for me and the people we sent sample pairs to that we’ve decided to make them available for purchase. Yep, Hart and I are starting our own business so anyone who suffers from migraine can use these awesome glasses. (Well, Hart’s really starting the business; I’m more like his muse and provider-of-different-perspectives.)

These glasses have a precision tint called FL-41 that research shows can help with painful sensitivity to light (photophobia), fluorescent light/CFL sensitivity, eye strain, and even reduce the number of migraine attacks wearers get. One FL-41 study showed participants went from an average of 6.2 to 1.6 migraine attacks per month — that’s 74% fewer attacks.

The tint was suggested by my headache specialist who was concerned that I was over-sensitizing my eyes by wearing sunglasses indoors. I ordered standard eyeglasses with the tint. While helpful for computer time they let in way too much light, which means the glasses didn’t effectively manage general photophobia or protect me from fluorescent lighting, which is a big trigger for me.

After hearing me complain about them (and seeing me always wearing them with a baseball cap) Hart set out to see if he could do better. He wanted to to create FL-41 glasses in frames that would better protect my eyes. He worked with an optical lab and talked to countless different companies before finding just the right lightweight, flexible, wraparound frames — in short, the perfect glasses for a migraineur. The flexibility of the frames and their light weight mean that they don’t put pressure on a head that’s already sensitive from migraine and they also fit a wide variety of faces with no pinching or squeezing.

Wearing these glasses, I no longer fear fluorescent lights at grocery stores, friends’ houses, or doctors’ offices. (I can even go to Ikea without a meltdown!) I also wear them around the house whenever I have a migraine and they really cut down on the pain. At the risk of sounding cheesy, what these glasses really give me is freedom from fear and a sense of control over migraine triggers and symptoms.

The glasses were great for me, but we wanted to be sure they would work for other people, too. We sent some pairs out for feedback and waited nervously. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with testers reporting many of the same benefits that I did. Besides photophobia relief, testers found the glasses especially useful for blocking fluorescent lights and for screen time in front of the computer or TV. Some of the feedback was so touching that it brought me to tears. Once we knew the glasses could help a lot of other people, we also knew we needed to make them available.

Hart is hard at work putting the final pieces of the business into place and getting the glasses made. We hope to have them available for sale in a few weeks. If you’re interested in learning more, enter your email address below so we can contact you when the new company’s website is up. (We promise not to sell or share your email address.) Update: The website is up! The glasses are now available at www.theraspecs.com.

I’ll post again to let you all know when they are available, too. We both hope these glasses can help you as much helped me!