fluorescent lights

[Jpdee75]

Does anyone have the same problem? My vision tests fine my vision field has a slight defect but DVLA test didn’t pick anything up so it’s outside of there criteria needed to drive. A little bit of binocular vision is present. I don’t know what it is : focusing problems or something but my eyes are always tense and strained partially if tired plus I think it’s a trigger for fatigue. Find it hard adjusting to different lighting ie dull or bright etc but fluorescent lights play havoc with me and seems to drain my battery very quickly and I get instantly irritated. Just don’t know what’s going on. Eye specialist look at me like I’m talking alien

[paxo05]

Hi. Not sure if it's the same but bright or fluorescent lighting plays havoc with my eyes. Or rather my head.

I tire easily under these lights and often give me a headache.

I was told it comes under light sensitivity. Yep I'm the one sat in sun glasses at the slightest appearance of the sun.

If I go anywhere at night that has fluorescent lighting I'm once again playing the cool dude at night in shades.

OK I ain't cool but at least I can see without the glare.

This may not be the same in your case but just a thought you could ask your gp or optician about light sensitivity.

Pax

[Oppo24]

I have a similar issue with fluorescent lights and in fact any bright lights - made me irritable, gave me migraines and seemed to be a trigger for seizures. Changed all lights at home to low LED, turned brightness down on screens and that seems to have resolved it but bright flashing lights on some TV programmes or videos can have similar effect.

[Leaf100]

Hi Jpdee

Fluorescent lights flicker at a fast rate - it's supposedly above our threshold of 'seeing', but it flickers just the same... and my feeling is the brain can register it anyway. I couldn't tolerate them long before the injury, and luckily they are in few places now, since LEDs came on the scene.

Luckily there are a lot of adjustable bulbs now - you can pick the temperature of the white light, and even chose a colour if you want.

Light is measured on a Kelvin scale, I beleive somewhere around 5000 is like noon outside - very blue - and the lower you go the less blue, so the old incandescent bulbs might be more like around 3000.

Being in light that is too blue interferes with our sleep patterns, so you can get lamps that change the colour of white as night goes on and get brighter in the morning - or you could program a changeable bulb to do the same. Or, just have a lower Kelvin one in your bedroom and a bluer one in your sitting room - or if your bedside lamp has two bulbs with those change turn on/off things, have one of each in it.

There are also lots of aps for your computer/phone/tablet - one is called f.lux another called twilight, etc. The thing I don't like about using them on the phone is they use a lot of battery fast. Well, at least twilight does.

When out I find the grey glasses are good - you can get ones that fit over rx glasses, even if you don't wear glasses - they keep the light out of the top and sides the way regular sunnies don't.

There are also amber ones which cut glare - I find them useful for night driving.

Leaf

[Teazymaid]

I wish the medical profession would listen to the people who have actually had TBI so they had some idea of how we all seem to have similar/same problems … when tired my patients is none existent .. sue xx

[john-boy-92]

I assume that the DVLA test (Esterman chart) was for a car (Group 1) and not a vocational licence (Group 2). Therefore your visual field is at least 120 degrees with 50 degrees to left and right of the central axis without significant drop out. You mention that you have some binocular vision, that usually means the DVLA require a visual field of 120 degrees with both eyes. You may have sensitivity in adjusting to brightness or glare. My wife has compliant vision but with pale eye colour, she doesn't like a bright sky or glare. Fluorescent lighting looked at straight on doesn't have a perceptible flicker, but the perimeter of your eyesight will pick up flicker around the end of the fluorescent tube if it is visible. Colour rendering of fluorescent lighting can be important - it is for me - and that usual means LED rather than fluorescent. Cooler colour temperature - above 3000K - requires higher lighting level than warmer colour temperature of 3000K to 2700K. The majority of lighting in offices and shops will be downwards causing quite a dark ceiling, and it's not visually pleasant. There should be some upward light that will tend to "lift" the ceiling and make it a better environment.

[Globalartichoke]

I have a similar experience. Since a TBI I have found some, but not all, fluorescent lights can make me very woolly headed. If I don't remove myself from their vacinity sharpish it can trigger a migraine.

The worst for me is a branch of M & S that I could visit before my TBI but now avoid at all costs. It's odd because even the lights in other branches don't have that effect. I presume they have different lighting.

Not to make light of your serious problem, but looking for the positives in any situation: as a grumpy bloke, it does give me a valid reason to avoid accompanying the wife clothes shopping. Every cloud...😀