Glasses the cause?

This is not my first post so I am not going to detail my whole history. Here is the short version highlighting only what is important to my question for you my fellow travelers on the road to freedom from migraine: migraines since I was 6, have worn glasses since I was nine, increase in migraine at age 15 especially hormone triggered migraines. I do not respond well to most treatments. I have worn "pop bottle bottom" lenses in my glasses most of my life. I wore contact lenses briefly when I was a teenager and although I experienced better vision correction with contact lenses there were too many negatives associated with them to continue wearing them for a lifetime. I opted for glasses. I was thrilled when my insurance included vision insurance and it eventually became possible to get the "featherweight" lenses. I began wearing bifocals at thirty. From my late twenties I began experiencing an upswing in migraine pain that eventually became chronic migraine with NO pain free days. Some days were less intense than others and I learned to function through the pain because the more intense pain days stole too much of my family time. I cannot take most triptans and the pain is resistant to most medications. Even as a teenager the drugs the doctors tried would turn me into a zombie and leave me in pain. I chose to find ways to deal with pain, nausea, dizziness, intense sensitivity to smells, phonophobia, and each new symptom as it arose. I now take four medications and Botox injections with only some relief and no relief from hormone triggered migraines. I avoid all known triggers whenever possible.

Ok - that is the background - here is the rest. For the last 25 years my husband has asked me if I have ever considered contacts. He always gets the same answer but he keeps asking. So, I decided to try them for one year. I have a lot of trouble with dry eye particularly as a side effect of one medication so I have to work at it but I'm willing to make it work. The down side is my vision cannot be corrected completely with the contacts. I wear multi-focal contact lenses and I still wear reading glasses. There are some days that I just cannot see with the contacts on so I switch back to glasses. There are of course some days when I am working in the yard or around the house when I just don't feel like wearing the contacts and I wear glasses. I have noticed a pattern. On the days I wear my contacts, I have no headaches of any kind. When I wear my glasses, it is like flipping a switch, the symptoms start immediately. I always end up with a migraine - without fail. The good news is that I can take an abortive when I notice the symptoms and keep it from being unmanageable or even make it stop which has been something I could not do in the past.

So....has anyone else had such an experience? Has anyone else had their migraine "cured" with contact lenses? Mine only have the light blue tint that allows then to be more easily found if dropped. There is nothing special about them. I could understand it if they corrected my vision better. I have been absolutely amazed. I would guess I am not alone, but I would love to hear about it from someone else.

By providing your email address, you are agreeing to our privacy policy.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Migraine.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

Join the conversation

Please read our rules before commenting.

Community Poll

Do you feel comfortable advocating for yourself to your healthcare provider?