"To Work and Play in Less Pain is a Blessing" (Hanna’s Story)
Ocular migraine can encompass multiple subtypes of migraine and is typically characterized by intense visual disturbances and disruptions. And for Hanna from Australia, they have been part of her life for nearly a decade.
Although Hanna only gets approximately one of these migraine attacks per year, bright light—along with stress—are the leading triggers, and unfortunately photophobia and eye pain just came with the territory. In fact, it took putting on and having a little bit of relief from a cheap pair of blue light blocking glasses for her to realize that her eyes were aching practically every night!
"My photophobia basically feels like sandpaper on my eyes from the moment I wake up," she said. "For so long (at least 2 years), I had simply put up with the pain, only half aware of it, not understanding what it was or what caused it."
Harsh LED lighting, staring at her smartphone screen, and TV binge watching all contributed to the pain that she was experiencing. Even her ophthalmologist seemed surprised and puzzled to learn about her photophobia symptoms—just reinforcing that Hanna was on her own for finding a solution to improve this light-related pain.
By now, she had upgraded to higher-quality blue light glasses, but they still were not enough. Then she learned of TheraSpecs as an option for her light sensitivity through an online Facebook group. TheraSpecs precision-tinted lenses block more blue light than other brands of tinted eyewear, specifically at 480nm, which is the wavelength that research has shown to be the most likely to cause migraine attacks, pain and other symptoms. Two years of struggling with sensitivity to light changed in just 3 days with our glasses.
"They instantly made my eyes feel better. After 3 days, I knew they were for me," she told us. "When I take them off, it's an instant return of discomfort. I know my photophobia and migraines are related to stress, and the glasses are a relief when stress is high. But I wear them all the time, since almost any light bothers me these days."
Where other options had failed, TheraSpecs allowed Hanna to focus on her life’s work: making music. She recently released an album of relaxing piano music, titled Vivid Mist (check it out on her website!). And she gets to enjoy doing all of it with less pain.
"I'm glad the Internet brought me to TheraSpecs...[these glasses] have validated that I actually have a real problem that has a real solution. Being able to work and play in less pain is a blessing."
Thank you, Hanna, for sharing your story and your music with the world!
Special thanks to Raphael Recht, the photographer who took the wonderful photos included in this article. Reshared with permission.
TheraSpecs Glasses for Light Management
Try our light-filtering glasses and stay protected against harsh light from screens, fluorescents, LEDs, unwanted blue light, bright sunlight, flashing lights, and more.
