Migraine Headaches and Light Sensitivity

Eedy: Hi, My name is Eedy; I am from Flint, Michigan. Why does being outside on sunny days results in me getting severe headaches?

Victoria Pelak: Eedy, this is a question I hear often from my patients who have migraine headaches. Migraine headaches are often triggered by light. Some people with migraines, during their migraines become light sensitive. So, let's briefly discuss what the migraine is. There are four characteristics to think about. One is severe pain, the other is the headache is on one side of the head, another is throbbing pain and the last is worsening with physical activity.

If you have two of those four characteristics, you've so far met some criteria for migraine. Additional criteria include if you have one of the following, either nausea or vomiting, or you note light and sound sensitivity both. Lastly, if your headaches last between 4 and 72 hours, you are likely suffering from a typical migraine headache and that will be the reason why your headaches might be triggered by or get worse when you are out in the sun.


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