Which Migraine Glasses Are Best?

Throughout the years, I’ve tried many different brands of glasses for migraine. Over 7 years ago, when I was officially diagnosed with Vestibular Migraine, all my work was done on a computer. For 8-10 hours a day, I’d squint at watch designs, tiny specs, and loads of excel worksheets under the florescent lights of my office. It was a complete nightmare! I used to come home and just want to keep my eyes closed the rest of the night for relief.

That’s when my neurologist recommended FL-41 lenses, which have the pink tint. The first pair I bought was the original Axon lenses, and although they did help, I think my trigger load was just too high to see a lot of benefits.

Once I left my job and started working on Dizzy Cook, I was able to control my environment more. I am still in front of screens for most of the day between writing posts, editing photos, and answering questions, but I’m able to take breaks more often or spend a day cooking if screens are just too much.

On the days I am on the computer, I can tell such a difference when I wear my migraine glasses. Not only do my eyes feel more rested and less strained, but it really does decrease any build up of dizziness. Sometimes if I go without them, I can feel my brain start to get frazzled and my eyes ache.

With vestibular migraine especially, stores like Target or the grocery store can trigger dizziness. I used to go with a hat, glasses, and ear plugs just to try to make it through. These types of glasses can be helpful for this experience as well, and I’ll go into detail on that within the breakdowns.

Full disclosure, I’ve worked with all brands in some capacity. I make a small affiliate commission from sales using my code with Axon, Avulux, and Migraine Shields. I am currently an Avulux Ambassador. None of them have paid for this particular post other than providing lenses for review – it is all my personal opinion.

Avulux

Avulux blocks 97% of blue, amber, and red light, while letting 70% of green light through. This is also the science behind Allay Lamp, a green light therapy for migraine. Although I never found green light therapy to be successful at reducing dizziness (since I don’t get head pain with my vestibular migraine attacks), it did help with lowering anxiety and promoting more restful sleep. I found the same to be true with wearing Avulux lenses.

They are the only company I’ve found to do independent studies specifically on their lens technology, which shows 74% of participants reduced their amount of medication needed to continue daily activities, and 38% prevented light-triggered pain. No other brand is this open with their results.

Avulux comes in a variety of frames and although their lenses look darker pink in pictures, they’re not pink in person – more of a very light grey/yellow tint. While it is noticeable that you’re wearing some kind of special lenses, it’s not as obvious as the FL-41 pink tint. They ship non-prescription lenses internationally, but prescription lenses are only available in the USA. You can even place their lens technology in your own frames.

• The Pros – Avulux has the science behind it, they’re lightweight and fashionable, and they are really effective in big box stores with fluorescent lights. I find they help decrease my light sensitivity and make crowded, bright stores more manageable. If you find yourself on screens later in the evening, these will definitely help you with more restful sleep and make scrolling on the phone less of a trigger. They offer prescription lenses and a 60 day trial period.
• The Cons – With the original lenses they sent a few years ago, I found there was an adjustment period of about a week. With new lenses I received recently, I didn’t have this issue at all. Not sure if that’s just consistent wear or if they’ve changed something! These are also the most expensive glasses, but you are paying for the quality, lens technology and independent studies that other brands don’t have. Basic lenses are $299.99 USD to start.

Blue Light Blocking Glasses

Blue light blocking glasses are not created equal. So often I see people order cheap ones from Amazon which don’t specify what range of blue light they block, or how much. You could be blocking blue light that’s not even in the harmful range, below 420nm, and it’s a complete waste of money. The highest range of energy with blue light is between 400-440nm, and this is usually what is associated with digital eye strain. Above that, between 440-500nm, is what effects the sleep/wake cycle. I actually see this range varied on different sites – some say it’s between 460-500nm. 

Either way, anything above this range of 440-460nm can actually be considered “good” blue light because it controls the secretion of melatonin. This is essentially the type of light that makes you feel more awake, happy, and energized. In fact, light therapy that’s used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD) is used within this range.

So before you set out to buy glasses that block out the blue light in a higher range, like the FL-41 lenses, consider this in your purchase. Will these be used during working hours or do you prefer to use them before bed?

Migraine Shields

What makes Migraine Shields a little bit different is they are blue light glasses intended for migraine, but without the pink FL-41 tint. The tint is like a very faint yellow, which I don’t really notice once I put them on. I used to really enjoy these for computer work. Unfortunately Migraine Shields shut down their production.

They say you can still find the lens technology offered through BluTech at certain providers, but I have not heard of any patients being able to locate it since it shut down.

Felix Gray

With Migraine Shields no longer in business, I recommend Felix Gray for blue light blockers. Felix Gray is a collection of blue light blocking lenses that come in clear and amber tint. The clear lenses are stylish and just look like regular glasses, while the “sleep lenses” with amber tint have a slight tint to them.

The clear lenses are 15 times more effective at blocking blue light at 455nm. The amber tint is 23 times more effective, plus clinically proven to increase natural melatonin secretion by two times. The focus of these lenses is just to block blue light, and not necessarily tested on people with migraine disorders. You can get them with or without magnification, in a multitude of frames and they reduce glare as well.

I highly recommend these if you are doing a lot of computer work and need to have a little more clarity on color correction. For instance, I work a lot on photo editing and some of the tinted lenses like FL 41 and Avulux are just a tad dark for me to do this accurately.

These lenses run about $95 per pair making them an affordable option. They also are FSA/HSA eligible.