What Do Migraineurs and Movie Stars Have in Common?

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!

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Comments

[Diana Lee]

Great advice, Megan!

I don't know what I'd do without a good pair of sunglasses. I lucked out and got a remarkably good pair at Target this year when my old beloved pair broke. Only $15 and they have a great tint, perfect fit and are large enough to block out lots of light. Love them!

[Suzie of Sparkling With Crystals]

Oh my yes, what great suggestions!

I agree completely about Transitions lenses. I had a pair of glasses years ago when Transitions first came out. I was never able to get them light enough to see indoors nor dark enough to block light.

I got my prescription sunglasses in a deal: buy the $350 regular eyeglasses and get prescription pair for free. I like my sunglasses far better than my regular eyeglasses!

[Megan Oltman]

Suzie I got the regular glasses and the prescrip sunglasses a year apart, but the optician actually gave me a $125 "second pair discount" because she felt her boss had misled me about the Transitions (names omitted to protect the optician!).

I will say for Transitions, that they have improved from their early days. They get pretty dark, and lighten almost all the way to colorless indoors. But what may be dark enough for non-migraineurs is not dark enough for us, not to mention the not-darkening-in-the-car problem. And I use tiny little lenses for my regular glasses, which doesn't work for sunglasses!