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Irlen

Headache and Migraine Research

  • A secondary data analysis of a clinical database including N = 392 military personnel diagnosed with TBI, persistent headaches/migraines, and light sensitivity found that wearing Irlen Spectral Filters resulted in a significant reduction in monthly migraine frequency from an average of 14.8 to 1.9, with 74% reporting no migraines when wearing Irlen Spectral Filters. Prescription and over-the-counter medication use decreased by more than 70%. Individuals also reported significant improvement in light sensitivity, headaches/migraine severity, and physical and perceptual symptomsTosta, S., Ferreira, M., Lewine, J., & Anderson, A. (2024). Individualized spectral filters alleviate persistent photophobia, headaches and migraines in active duty military and Veterans following brain trauma, Brain Injury, DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2024.2309253

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  • Research at the University of Birmingham in England showed that many migraine sufferers are sensitive to the flickering from fluorescent lighting, TV screens, and computer monitors. The study found that wearing colored glasses reduced the frequency of migraine headaches by 74 percent. Other research indicates that about one in five individuals could get relief with colored glasses. A preliminary study conducted at the UT Houston Medical School with 30 migraine sufferers found that 27 of them were helped dramatically by colored contacts.
  • Evidence that symptoms of headaches and other symptoms of strain can be reduced by the wearing of Irlen Spectral Filters which alter the wave lengths of lighting comes from a variety of studies (Bulmer, 1994; Chronicle & Wilkins, 1991; McLachlan, Yale & Wilkins, 1993; Cilkins & Clark, 1990; Wilkins, Nimmo-Smith, Slater & Bedocs, 1989; Wilkins & Wilkinson, 1991).
  • There are numerous surveys of subjects who have used colored filters for periods of six months to six years. Reduction in eye strain was reported by 78% to 86% of subjects in studies by Burgess (1990), Westergard (1993), Whiting and Robinson (1988), and Whiting, Robinson and Parrot (1994). Stokes and Stokes (1990) found 45% of subjects reported reductions in headaches, while Fricker (1989) and Schaffer (1994) also reported a reduction in headaches when using Irlen Spectral Filters.
  • A preliminary study by D.W. Riley and A. Wright (October 2000) comprised 30 people ranging in age from 10 to 60+. The diagnosis of migraine was by doctor or specialist for 21 of the subjects, with the remaining 9 being self-diagnosed. All the subjects had been assessed for Irlen Syndrome and had been wearing Irlen Spectral Filters for 6 months to 5 years. For 83% of people in the study, Irlen Filters reduced the frequency and severity of their migraines.
  • Coutts, L. Cooper, C.E., Elwell, C.E., & Wilkins, A.J. (2012). Time course of the haemodynamic response to visual stimulation in migraine, measured using near-infrared spectroscopy. Cephalalgia 32(8) 621–629.
  • Huang, J., Zong, X., Wilkins, A., Jenkins, B., Bozoki, A., Cao, Y. (2011). fMRI evidence that precision ophthalmic tints reduce cortical hyperactivation in migraine. Cephalagia, 31(8):925-36. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3132147/