Tag: photophobia

Books & Products, Coping, Friends & Family, Treatment, Triggers

TheraSpecs, a Labor of Love

Kerrie Smyres

When Hart first posted about TheraSpecs on Facebook, his sister referred to the company as her brother’s labor of love. I get a little teary when I think about how apt this description is. (Warning: This is the gushiest post I’ve ever written!)

TheraSpecs got rolling because Hart wanted me to have better precision-tinted glasses to ease my photophobia and enable me to be under fluorescent lighting without it triggering a migraine attack. When the glasses worked so well for me, he had some more made for other migraineurs we know. When those folks gave great feedback, he knew he had to make a go of making them available to everyone with migraine and photophobia. These glasses — this business — came from my sweet husband’s desire to see me suffer less.

This labor of love for me also demonstrates his great compassion and desire to relieve the suffering of others. “But most of all, we very much hope that your own search for relief is a success—with or without TheraSpecs” is the last sentence on the TheraSpecs homepage. I love that Hart wrote this. I love that he truly wants everyone who is looking at the site to find migraine relief for themselves or their loved ones, whether they purchase our product or not.

Remembering the love that’s behind the product helps ease the stress of starting a new company, of knowing our livelihood depends on its success. There is excitement and exhilaration in starting something new, but it is primarily terrifying.

I alternate between saying that TheraSpecs is “our company” and that it is “Hart’s company.” I was obviously the inspiration for it and I’m the one with contacts in the headache and migraine world; I also work on it as much as I am able. But Hart’s the one who has poured himself into the research and production of the products as well as undertaking all the work necessary to get a business going. Though I give plenty of input, he’s ultimately the one making the Big Decisions.

The excellent reviews from other headache bloggers (Inner Dorothy, Somebody Heal Me, Migraine and Other Headache Disorders, Headache and Migraine News) all mention that my husband and I have started TheraSpecs. This is absolutely true, though I don’t want to take more credit than I deserve. My kind, loving, supportive husband is truly the force behind the company and I want everyone to know how awesome he is. (Finished gushing now.)

P.S. Keep up with TheraSpecs on Facebook and Twitter!

Books & Products, Coping, News & Research, Treatment

Big News for Relief From Photophobia & Sensitivity to Fluorescent Lighting (CFLs)

Kerrie Smyres

I have big news today! I’ve mentioned a couple times that I’m able to blog again in part thanks to some special glasses. Hart had them made for me based on a recommendation from my headache specialist and a bunch of research he read. They’ve been so helpful for me and the people we sent sample pairs to that we’ve decided to make them available for purchase. Yep, Hart and I are starting our own business so anyone who suffers from migraine can use these awesome glasses. (Well, Hart’s really starting the business; I’m more like his muse and provider-of-different-perspectives.)

These glasses have a precision tint called FL-41 that research shows can help with painful sensitivity to light (photophobia), fluorescent light/CFL sensitivity, eye strain, and even reduce the number of migraine attacks wearers get. One FL-41 study showed participants went from an average of 6.2 to 1.6 migraine attacks per month — that’s 74% fewer attacks.

The tint was suggested by my headache specialist who was concerned that I was over-sensitizing my eyes by wearing sunglasses indoors. I ordered standard eyeglasses with the tint. While helpful for computer time they let in way too much light, which means the glasses didn’t effectively manage general photophobia or protect me from fluorescent lighting, which is a big trigger for me.

After hearing me complain about them (and seeing me always wearing them with a baseball cap) Hart set out to see if he could do better. He wanted to to create FL-41 glasses in frames that would better protect my eyes. He worked with an optical lab and talked to countless different companies before finding just the right lightweight, flexible, wraparound frames — in short, the perfect glasses for a migraineur. The flexibility of the frames and their light weight mean that they don’t put pressure on a head that’s already sensitive from migraine and they also fit a wide variety of faces with no pinching or squeezing.

Wearing these glasses, I no longer fear fluorescent lights at grocery stores, friends’ houses, or doctors’ offices. (I can even go to Ikea without a meltdown!) I also wear them around the house whenever I have a migraine and they really cut down on the pain. At the risk of sounding cheesy, what these glasses really give me is freedom from fear and a sense of control over migraine triggers and symptoms.

The glasses were great for me, but we wanted to be sure they would work for other people, too. We sent some pairs out for feedback and waited nervously. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with testers reporting many of the same benefits that I did. Besides photophobia relief, testers found the glasses especially useful for blocking fluorescent lights and for screen time in front of the computer or TV. Some of the feedback was so touching that it brought me to tears. Once we knew the glasses could help a lot of other people, we also knew we needed to make them available.

Hart is hard at work putting the final pieces of the business into place and getting the glasses made. We hope to have them available for sale in a few weeks. If you’re interested in learning more, enter your email address below so we can contact you when the new company’s website is up. (We promise not to sell or share your email address.) Update: The website is up! The glasses are now available at www.theraspecs.com.

I’ll post again to let you all know when they are available, too. We both hope these glasses can help you as much helped me!

Symptoms

Flickering Lights and Sensitive Eyes

Kerrie Smyres

The trees are shaking violently in a windstorm and are casting ever-moving shadows on the house and windows. Doesn’t seem like a big deal, but to my sensitive eyes, the flickering looks like a strobe light. With a migraine, that’s a terrible, terrible sight.

I’m looking forward to sunset and hoping that the electricity doesn’t go out. I’m not sure I could handle the whole house lit by (flickering) candles. For now, I’m going to lie on the couch with a pillow across my eyes.

Who knew leaves and branches could affect my neurological system like this?