For context, I am 22 and I have had chronic migraine with aura since I was a sophomore in high school. My headaches have been on and off controlled by a variety of medications over the years. I have sensory processing disorder (likely from undiagnosed autism) and migraines, so my photophobia is pretty severe.
As for these glasses, these are the best that I have tried. I have previously tried TheraSpecs and Axxon Optics, both red-light glasses and their polarized sunglasses. These are leagues better than their blue-light-blocking glasses, and are somewhat better than their polarized sunglasses. What sets the Avulux glasses apart are:
- they are way cuter (look better on my face)
- the shape blocks out way more surrounding light (it doesn't get through the sides as much)
- they work extremely well both indoors and outdoors, so I only need to carry one pair of glasses around with me. They also help tremendously with transitions between dark and light environments.
- they extend the time that I can look at screens without getting tired eyes. I can now watch tv at nighttime with my family without getting a headache (televisions are the worst because you can't adjust the brightness and it doesn't come with a built-in blue-light filter).
- I used to get severe, sharp pain when going from dark to light places, and, while my eyes still take a while to adjust, I no longer feel pain as they adjust.
- The darkness is in-between the darkness of sunglasses and normal glasses, so I find I am way less self-conscious wearing them all the time (I used to get embarrassed by the red-ness of other blue-light-blocking glasses)
There are some cons, however:
- I think they do help prevent or dissipate my smaller, daily headaches, but I don't think they do much for my full-blown migraine attacks (I still have to take an abortive, and if the abortive doesn't work these don't just make the pain disappear)
- I worry about breaking them since they are so expensive
- on video calls they do like quite dark (like I'm wearing sunglasses) so people tend to get concerned for me
- I wish they came in more colors, but these have grown on me
Overall, I 100% would recommend these glasses. I already told my neurologist about them so they can go out to more people. My mom also has a pair and uses them daily. For people who have had chronic migraine for many years, I wouldn't expect them to be curative, but they have quickly become a tool I use daily to assist with my photophobia and help me live a more normal life. Light is no longer actively painful, which is huge.
Havana
