Seeing the World Through Rose Colored Glasses as Migraine Treatment

I went to see comedian Bobcat Goldthwait and he did a whole bit about his rose colored glasses. He sometimes wears red tinted glasses as a fashion statement and says he likes seeing the world through rose colored glasses. I would never have thought I’d be sporting the same fashion as Bobcat, but only a week later, I was trying out my new glasses, prescription lenses with “migraine lens tint.”

These FL-41 glasses were from Zennis, but my neurology fellow assured me all eye doctors know about this treatment option. I wondered why, if everyone knew, no one cared to ask me if I wanted to try them until now. I’d always been asked if I had blue light resistant lenses in my glasses to reduce eye strain and prevent migraines, and I do. But these lenses are specifically for people with migraines.

What's the science behind rose-tinted glasses?

Not to get too into it because I’m not an expert, but the science behind these glasses is that the specific FL-41 rose tint filters out wavelengths of light that are known to trigger migraines. They’re meant to enhance sharpness and contrast and reduce eye strain and light sensitivity.

How was I managing light sensitivity before?

I’d heard of other people finding some relief from the use of these glasses, so, of course, I was willing to give it a try. Medication hadn’t been working well and I was frustrated with my neurologist’s lack of responsiveness. I got the lightest of the three tints offered since I figured it would take me a bit to get used to them. I was in the habit of wearing my sunglasses inside at grocery stores or for transitions in and out of dropping the kids at school.

Have rose-tinted glasses helped with my migraine?

I’m not used to them yet. I wore them for the first time while working in the lobby of my kid’s therapy appointment, a bright room lit by fluorescents, and felt pretty good. Then, I accidentally wore them night driving for about ten minutes before I realized. I liked that the glare from those awful new car headlights was less intense, but I noticed I was squinting along the dark, windy roads and switched back to my clear lenses. I wore them to work in a coffee shop the next day. I chose a dim corner away from the bright morning light and not too close to the whirr of the espresso machine because, to my sensitive system, if I’m overwhelmed by one sense (sound), then the other potential stressors are amplified. Being in a quiet place reduces my light sensitivity. I was primed for a migraine before I started working and I experimented taking the new glasses off and looking at the screen. Immediately I saw the difference. The rose colored glasses were absolutely softening the glare of the screen and the room. So, while I may still get migraines, I can tell the rose colored glasses are not the cause and in fact might decrease the intensity of what might have been.

Would I order another shade?

I ordered the dark shade to wear as sunglasses. I currently wear very cool prescription Ray Bans inside a lot of the time and all summer unless I’m actively in the water (which is when I put on my cheap ones and bemoan my inability to see as well). I’m sad to let those go, but until I get more migraine-free days, I need to be proactive about trying everything possible to keep these episodes at bay.