Overhead light in office
Hey everyone,
due to renovation work, I'll soon have to move into a new, much bigger office with lots of overhead lights. The move is temporary (for the next 6 months or so), but cannot be avoided. Since I'm only a trainee I cannot reasonably ask them to buy desk lamps for all of the roughly 30 desks in the new office.
Do any of you have any tips on how I could deal with sitting in overhead light for several hours a day? Have tinted glasses worked for you?
I already manage my screen brightness and colour composition with f.lux. Also, I can work from home on some days, but I do have to be at the office most days of the week.
I've become truly hypersensitive to light over the last year and currently most of my migraines are triggered by light. Even spending an hour in a meeting room with overhead lights can easily trigger an attack. I've just been prescribed anti-epileptics in the hope of reducing the frequency of attacks and the thought of having to spend several hours a day in overhead light is frankly very discouraging. 🙁
Any advice is appreciated!
Hi euse,
Lots of us experience issues with lighting or photophobia, which can trigger be a strong migraine trigger - I'm sorry this is troublesome for you too. It sounds like you are doing a great job managing this but there are a few things I can add that may be helpful. First I'd to share information on photophobia with you; https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-symptoms-photophobia-sensitivity-to-light/
There are glasses that are specifically designed to help with photophobia. TheraSpecs and Axon are two such company's that make them. Let me share this information with you; https://migraine.com/sponsored/sponsored-proven-migraine-relief-with-new-theraspecs-glasses/ and https://migraine.com/sponsored/are-you-ignoring-one-of-the-top-migraine-triggers/.
You can find information on managing photophobia at the workplace in this article that may help; https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-management-essential-trigger-management/ and https://migraine.com/blog/my-road-to-workplace-accommodations/.
I hope this helps,
Nancy
Hi Euse,
Nancy's answer was spot on so I will just give my personal experience. Where I work we have similar lighting and it is one of my worst triggers. I wear the type of glasses Nancy mentioned (the TheraSpecs brand though both brands use the same rose-colored tint) and they are probably one of the BEST tools in my migraine kit. I feel so much more free to work, shop, etc in this type of lighting. I am not migraine free, but it really has helped me. I cannot say enough about these glasses--if they ever broke I'd feel like I'd be stuck at home until I got my new pair!
Also, I haven't found any scientific basis for this, but after wearing these glasses for 2 years now, I feel like my light sensitivity has lessened, and I don't always need to wear them anymore.
If you have more questions about this specific option definitely let me know.
Hope this helps!
Lisa
I've recently had the harsh neon bulbs taken out over my cubicle. It helps, but when I have a bad migraine, the lights outside my cubicle seem to brighten and invade my space.
That's not helpful, but adding my experience.
I've tried sunglasses and a hoodie though with some headaches, the hoodie is too heavy for my head.
I wish you luck!
Thanks for all the tips and links so far! I have ordered a pair of indoor glasses from AxonOptics and will report back once I've worn them for a few weeks.
