WebMD: Green light reduces migraine pain

[Sasha]

This story seems to be in quite a few places, including the New Scientist.

Experimental light therapy finds it can ease sensitivity, pain for some patients

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, May 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A new study sheds light -- literally -- on a potential means of easing migraine pain.

Researchers in Boston exposed 69 migraine patients to different colors of light. They found that while blue light exacerbated headache pain, a narrow spectrum of low-intensity green light significantly reduced light sensitivity.

In some cases, this green light also reduced migraine pain by about 20 percent, the researchers found.

They noted that migraine headache affects nearly 15 percent of people worldwide, and a frequent symptom of migraine is light sensitivity, also known as photophobia....

Read the rest at:

http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/news/20160517/giving-the-green-light-to-migraine-relief

 

[aaron_c]

Huh, whenever light exacerbates my headache, I assume it is a migraine. That's the definition for me.

Maybe in the next year they'll have some kind of "narrow-spectrum green light" for sale somewhere?

 

[Sasha]

Huh, whenever light exacerbates my headache, I assume it is a migraine. That's the definition for me.

Maybe in the next year they'll have some kind of "narrow-spectrum green light" for sale somewhere?

I saw somewhere (not sure which article) that they were thinking about green-lensed specs but the pain reduction seems to be only 20% so I'm not sure it's worth it.

 

[aaron_c]

the pain reduction seems to be only 20% so I'm not sure it's worth it.

True, but something that could let me look at a screen or a book when migraines get more severe would be nice. The way I read it, if you could limit the light to the narrow green band then you could negate the photophobia part of migraines--which I would like, because if I can't sleep through a migraine I prefer to keep myself busy.

 

[Sasha]

True, but something that could let me look at a screen or a book when migraines get more severe would be nice. The way I read it, if you could limit the light to the narrow green band then you could negate the photophobia part of migraines--which I would like, because if I can't sleep through a migraine I prefer to keep myself busy.

Then maybe a thin sheet of green plastic over the book or computer screen might work? You can buy that sort of thing for 99p on Ebay (for example, on UK Ebay, there's one under the title, "A4 Colour Polypropylene Plastic Sheet 0.8/75mm Binding Art Craft & Model Making").