You can feel it in your mind

About two years ago, I had my first experience with ocular migraines. Since then, every migraine I’ve had has been an ocular (or retinal) migraine. A few weeks ago, I had four of them in four days.

That was exhausting.

Allie's work desk with a dual-monitor setupIn order to combat this insanity, I’ve decided that I needed to start wearing my Gunnar glasses at work. Alex got them for me years ago but I never wore them: they’re yellow-tinted (for science) and they make me feel silly. But I have two large monitors at work and I figured I needed to do something about the constant onslaught of light and glare on my eyes. (One monitor emits super blue light while the other is basically a mirror, there’s so much glare.) So I’ve been wearing them on a daily basis for three weeks and, so far, I’ve only had one migraine—and it was at home after staring at my phone screen first thing in the morning*.

I’ve felt the need to explain them to my colleagues (“They’re not for seeing, just for computer use!”) and they’re interested in them, too, now. So I didn’t need to feel so self-conscious about wearing yellow-tinted shades: everyone who works with computers understands eye fatigue and the subsequent problems. Wearing these glasses is a step in the right direction, helping to prevent my ocular migraines.

Now all I have to worry about is my posture.


* When I’m not at work, staring at my two monitors, I’m staring at my laptop, TV, iPad, or cellphone screens. We are a culture obsessed with screens, especially our phones.


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