Anyone try FL41 tinted glasses for migraine or other photosensitive reasons?

[Time Waster]

Anyone try FL41 tinted glasses for migraine or other photosensitive reasons? I am curious as to whether you have noticed a benefit with them.

I have had mixed answers from local opticians. Specsavers and my current opticians (small independent) didn't know about them but the current place do colour therapy with tints (on the NHS for certain conditions apparently) so they did some research and can get it from their usual supplier.

Another small, local opticians had heard about FL41 and had got in some clip ons in the tint for a customer to try but the customer didn't take them. I could try them over my glasses but they are over £100!! She did offer me a cutdown price at less than £100 though.

I don't want to buy online not least because I have read a lot about suppliers not actually supplying FL41 tint. You can see if you shop around that there is a wide range of colour tints being sold as FL41 so there are a lot of dodgy suppliers out there. AIUI it is a reddish brown tint to block out two frequencies of light.

Anyway, does anyone have an experience of FL41 tinted glasses? They're going to cost a lot with my high prescription so I am hoping to find out from actual users before I shell out that amount of money.

 

[Kingfisher101]

No, But I found a pair of Ray Bans in the summer and wore them after I failed to find the owner and they gave me a splitting headache. If they are going to cost a lot and you don't know if they are suitable or not beforehand then I wouldn't bother. It doesn't matter what other peoples experiences are as its only your experience that matters. Everyone's eyes are different.

 

[Time Waster]

I recall breakfast news had something about migraines not so long ago. I think there was as woman with her head wrapped in something and a pair of tinted glasses just so she could cope with going into the studio for the interview. I have heard a lot about it but it would still be good to discuss it with someone who has gone with FL41 directly. Actual experience of sourcing it and using it too.

Raybans can be crap with a price tag I believe but to give you headaches it is surprising.

 

[mickle]

Following this thread as my daughter suffers from every day migraines.

 

[mistyoptic]

I’m retired now but, iirc, the absorption was designed to remove the two peaks in the output of a fluorescent tube, thereby reducing the flicker effect. Had some customers report a benefit.

Not sure how they’d work with modern LED lighting. Think it has to be a try it and see.

this company seems to offer a sale or return non prescription pair EDIT which appear to be “overspecs” to wear on top of your prescription ones. Not pretty but may help to try.

https://www.uksportseyewear.co.uk/migraine-glasses-fl41

 

[Time Waster]

Yes they were designed by a professor at Birmingham University to help some of his students in the Fluorescent tube lit university department. He found out the best two frequencies which helped with a few different conditions that have a degree of photosensitivity. This was later tested by IIRC a Texan academic and another US one based further north somewhere. It did then come back to Birmingham for more research into migraine use.

I think the two frequencies were found to work best on migraine sufferers even in non flickering light locations. I know for me the issue is bright sunlight and especially random reflections in low level sunlight. So early spring sunlight is a dodgy time for me. April is my worst month for getting them. I think September is a bad month too but not as bad as April.

Whilst it was developed for fuorescent lights at first I believe most of the research relates to migraine.

BTW there is a treatment through the NHS in photochromatography (or something like that). It is the use of tinted lenses to aid various conditions. I think the most well known is dyslexia and the tints that help sufferers of that. IT is not widely done though. My local independent opticians offer it. I have seen one case tray of the tints and there are so many and there is a very close variation between tints. It is very subtle at times. I guess that is to fine tune the wavelenght of light it filters out.

 

[winjim]

My optician does the colorimetry which I want to try as it might help with autistic photosensitivity but I'm worried that tinted lenses will make me look like a bit of a self-gratification artist.

 

[Time Waster]

Who cares if it helps you out?!

In my case migraines are best avoided so if I looked odd with tinted glasses so be it. Not all debilitating conditions are visible!