LIGHT-INDUCED DISCOMFORT AND PAIN IN MIGRAINE

Quantitative thresholds for discomfort and pain with monocular and bin ocular light stimuli were measured in 67 controls and 67 migraine pati ents (37 migraine with aura and 30 migraine without aura). Patients we re more photophobic during attack than outside attack (p<0.03), and th ey were more sensitive to Light than controls even between attacks (p less than or equal to 0.0001). We found no differences in light sensit ivity between migraine with aura and migraine without aura (p greater than or equal to 0.93). Unilateral pain affected light sensitivity on both sides. When asked with a questionnaire, 74% of patients answered that they were sensitive to light outside attack and 100% were sensiti ve during attack. Pain thresholds were generally lower among sensitive than non-sensitive patients (p=0.004), indicating some agreement betw een subjective opinion and objective measurements of photophobia. Phot ophobia seems to be an intrinsic property of migraineurs. It is increa sed by migraine pain, but seems to be unrelated to migraine characteri stics such as nausea, severity of attacks, pain character and pain lat erality.