Migraine Breakthrough: How Green Light Helps Your Brain
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Why Ordinary Sunglasses Are Not Enough
More and more people are experiencing light sensitivity, chronic eye strain, and headaches caused by exposure to both natural and artificial light. And yet, the eyewear industry still clings to a very simplistic belief: the darker the lens, the better the protection. But this approach ignores how our nervous system actually works.
For years, scientists have been trying to determine which wavelengths of light are most irritating to our visual system.
What does science say?
Studies on migraine patients — people with the highest level of light sensitivity — have shown that the most irritating wavelengths are:
- Blue light
- Red light
- Amber light (yellow-orange spectrum)
In contrast, green light turned out to be the least irritating and the most therapeutic.
Green Light and Migraines: Clinical Findings
A series of clinical studies showed that exposure to narrow-band green light can reduce migraine frequency by 60–70%, even in patients with chronic and drug-resistant migraine [1]. This light is not a drug, but it actively interacts with the nervous system — stimulating pain-modulating neurons and triggering endorphin release, the body's natural pain-relieving chemicals [2].
Additionally, green light exposure improves:
- Sleep quality
- Circadian rhythm regulation
- Anxiety and tension levels in migraine patients [3]
Why Regular Sunglasses Aren't Enough
Typical sunglasses darken the entire light spectrum — without distinguishing between wavelengths that are harmful and those that are helpful. Green lens glasses (like PacifEyes™) are different. They selectively block only the wavelengths that worsen light sensitivity and headaches:
- They filter out harmful blue and red light
- Let in near-infrared light, which supports cellular repair and regeneration
- Maintain natural color perception, making the world look more like the green-rich, slightly dimmer environment our biology evolved in
If you struggle with:
- Headaches triggered by bright light
- Eye sensitivity to sun or screens
- Chronic eye fatigue
- Migraines after working on a computer or walking outdoors...
…you need protection based on science.
References
- Evaluation of green light exposure on headache frequency and quality of life in migraine patients: A preliminary one-way cross-over clinical trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32903062/
- Green Light Antinociceptive and Reversal of Thermal and Mechanical Hypersensitivity Effects Rely on Endogenous Opioid System Stimulation. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34157406/
- Narrow band green light effects on headache, photophobia, sleep, and anxiety among migraine patients: an open-label study conducted online using daily headache diary. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10582938/
- Color-selective photophobia in ictal vs interictal migraineurs and in healthy controls. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29905657/
- Migraine photophobia originating in cone-driven retinal pathways. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27190022/