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Migraine, blepharospasm patients similarly sensitive to light

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Patients with benign essential blepharospasm can be as sensitive to light as migraine patients, a study found.

Wesley H. Adams, MD, and colleagues at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center in Salt Lake City prospectively evaluated the light discomfort thresholds for 29 patients with benign essential blepharospasm. They then compared their light sensitivity levels to 29 migraine patients and 29 normal control patients.

The researchers found benign essential blepharospasm patients had significantly lower discomfort thresholds compared to control patients (P = .009) and similar discomfort thresholds to the migraine group.

All groups showed significantly improved light sensitivity thresholds when wearing both gray- and FL-41-tinted lenses (P = .0005). But there was no difference in improvement between the gray and FL-41-tinted lenses, according to the study.

“Physicians who care for patients with [benign essential blepharospasm] should consider using tinted lenses to help ameliorate symptoms,” the authors said.

The study was published in the July issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology.