Sensitivity to light (photophobia) and migraine

Photophobia, or sensitivity to light is one of the most common symptoms that accompany a migraine attack. Many patients remains photophobic even after the headache has resolved. In some, a prolonged exposure to bright light or as little as a momentary reflection of the sun in the window glass or water surface can bring on a severe attack.

It is not unusual for some of my patients to wear sunglasses indoors. Once, when I had a migraine while driving at night I had to put on my sunglasses because the headlights of oncoming cars made the pain worse (luckily, I had a sumatriptan injection with me and as soon as I got off the highway and to a traffic light, I gave myself a shot).

Dr. Kathleen Digre, a professor Neurology and Ophthalmolgy at the University of Utah, whose article on dry eyes and migraines I quoted a couple of years ago, recently stated that staying in the dark may actually make photophobia worse. It may be better to gradually expose yourself to more light when you are not in the middle of an attack.

A small study suggested that people who suffer from photophobia between migraine attacks are more likely to experience anxiety and depression than those without photophobia between attacks and those without migraines. It is not clear if anxiety and depression in these patients is due to more severe migraines.

Treatments for photophobia mentioned by Dr. Digre include botulinum toxin (Botox) injections, nerve blocks, medications such as gabapentin, and a natural supplement, melatonin. I should add that any effective acute and preventive treatment that leads to reduced frequency and duration of the attacks can lead to a reduction in photophobia. Effective treatment is also likely to improve phonophobia (sensitivity to noise) and osmophobia (sensitivity to smells), which are somewhat less common.