Tag: photophobia

News & Research, Symptoms, Treatment, Triggers

New Daily Persistent Headache Research News

Kerrie Smyres

New daily persistent headache (NDPH) is “rare” and “poorly understood;” there is “no known treatment for NDPH.” These statements, which are from abstracts of two studies that were presented at the American Headache Society’s conference in June, succinctly capture the frustrations of people living with NDPH. These studies provide some insight into NDPH.

Characteristics & Precipitating Factors of NDPH

An examination of patients with NDPH at Stanford’s headache clinic revealed some interesting details about the characteristics of NDPH:

  • Patients most often described the pain as pressure-like and in the front of the head
  • 75% said the pain was on both sides of the head (not one-sided, like migraine commonly is)
  • 69% had migraine-like features to their headaches (46% of those had photophobia, 46% had phonophobia, 37% had nausea)
  • 17% had a history of episodic migraine or another headache disorder prior to the NDPH diagnosis
  • 53% had a family history of headaches

In addition, 75% of patients could identify an event or illness that immediately preceded the headache’s onset:

  • 48% had an infection (usually viral)
  • 26% had undergone recent surgery
  • 7.4% had physical trauma
  • 7.4% had psychological stress
  • 11% had another precipitating event

This research is important to both understand NDPH better and to help classify whether it is a primary or secondary headache disorder, which can influence how it is treated.

Botox for NDPH

Perhaps more interesting for people with NDPH is a study of Botox as an NDPH treatment. In this study, 22 patients received Botox injections and 95.4% percent had multiple rounds of injections. Following the injections:

  • 4.6% of patients had 21-30 headache-free days a month
  • 18.1% had 11-20 headache-free days a month
  • 9.1% had 0-10 headache-free days a month
  • 68.2% had no decrease in headache days

Researchers also looked at a reduction in pain severity.

  • 13.6% had a greater than 50% decrease in headache severity
  • 54.6% had less than a 50% decrease in headache severity
  • 31.8% had no change in headache severity

The numbers aren’t staggering, but 32% of patients did have at least some headache-free days with Botox. That’s not trivial for people who have received no other relief.

This was a small retrospective study. It’s results point to the need for more research on Botox for NDPH.

Books & Products, Symptoms, Triggers

TheraSpecs Pilot: Stylish Aviator With a Curved Lens for Maximum Protection

Kerrie Smyres

I’m so excited to finally be able to announce that TheraSpecs Pilot, an aviator frame with a curved lens for maximum light protection, is now available. I’ve been wearing a prototype for months and love them so much that I’ve been dying to tell you about them!

Although Pilot looks like a classic aviator from the front, the lenses are curved for a wrap effect, so they block light really well. The golden metal alloy frame compliments the rosy hue of the TheraSpecs tint, plus it is very lightweight. Add in soft silicone nose pads and spring hinges and this eyewear is super comfortable in addition to looking great. Although aviators aren’t usually my style, I like Pilot so much that I wear them almost exclusively as my indoor frame.

Even better, we’re offering a 30% introductory discount off the regular price of $99 for indoors and $129 for outdoor polarized lenses. Order your Pilots this month and you’ll automatically receive the discount — that’s $69.30 for a pair of indoors and $90.30 for outdoors.

Pilot-combo-F+A

Coping, Patient Education, Symptoms, Triggers

Wearing Sunglasses Indoors Can Worsen Light Sensitivity

Kerrie Smyres

“Wearing sunglasses indoors actually worsens your photophobia,” my headache specialist warned me when I wore my polarized sunglasses to my appointment. The effect is not unlike medication overuse headache — you use a product because it helps, but by using it too often (or indoors instead of out), you actually became more susceptible to the problem you were trying to solve. That appointment was the last time I wore sunglasses indoors or after dark. Now, whenever I see migraineurs recommend wearing sunglasses to deal with fluorescent lights, computer monitors, TV screens, or any other bright light (like here and here), I want to yell, “Please, please don’t wear your sunglasses indoors or after dark! It can make you even more sensitive to light!”

But I can’t because I’m a co-owner of TheraSpecs, so anything I say makes readers think I’m trying to market my product. In a way, I guess I am, but only because the tint on TheraSpecs provides a better alternative to sunglasses indoors and won’t increase a person’s light sensitivity. The same neurologist who warned me against wearing sunglasses indoors or after dark is the one who told me about the precision tint that filters out the painful wavelengths of light. He has no financial ties to a company that sells glasses with this tint, he just knows it’s a better alternative than wearing sunglasses indoors. Because his suggestion helped me so much, Hart and I decided to make light-blocking frames with this special tint readily available to anyone with light sensitivity.

Now I’m in this bind of wanting to share the information that I have — information that could help migraineurs avoid exacerbating a major symptom and potential trigger — while being silenced because some people may think it’s marketing. Yes, TheraSpecs makes great products that help a lot of people, but that’s beside the point. Migraineurs are potentially worsening their photophobia by wearing sunglasses indoors and are encouraging others to do the same — and because of my affiliation with TheraSpecs, I can’t warn them of this risk. It’s so frustrating!

sunglassesindoors

 

Symptoms, Triggers

Sensory Overload: When Migraine Overwhelms the Senses

Kerrie Smyres

Though it is actually about sensory overload in autism, this short animation depicts perfectly what I feel when a migraine heightens my senses so that sights, sounds, smells or touch are overwhelming. I become as irritable as a hungry three-year-old and want to curl up in the fetal position and shut down.

This video shows why I carry earplugs (in a metal box with engraving that says “My cure for everything”!) and calming the constant visual barrage with TheraSpecs is so helpful for me. In fact, a woman who tried TheraSpecs for migraine relief said they were wonderful for her ADD — she felt like they gave her brain a rest. It is exciting to have a product that provides real, noticeable relief in people’s daily lives.

via Krulwich Wonders

Symptoms, Treatment

Please Help By Answering a Short Survey

Kerrie Smyres

Please help Hart and me refine the future of TheraSpecs by completing this short survey about headaches, migraines and light sensitivity. It less than 20 questions and takes about five minutes to complete. At the end, you can choose to enter your contact info for a chance to win your choice of a pair of Indoor TheraSpecs or an iPod Shuffle.