Vertigo/dizzy

[meissie47]

Hello, Has anyone ever heard of flourescent lighting aggravating vertigo symptoms?

Meissie

[MarkLavelle]

Working all day under flourescent light was what brought on my first migraines (aura only, not headache), but never vertigo...

[poohb3ar]

it does!

before dx, i noticed feeling strangely dizzy if in walmart too long. couldn't figure it out.
dx'd MS and definite vertigo

later as an Early Education Childhood major (non-traditional student), I learned in a special needs class that florescent lights can aggravate many disabilities. It was suggested to use much sunlight and regular lamps in classroom and at the very least turn off half the lights.

Florescent bulbs flicker, they don't give steady light like regular bulbs. and if you have super hearing like i do, they can be heard humming or popping.

so it's not your imagination if you're in a big store, school or wherever there are florescent lights you may react to them.

take care and God bless ya!

[Redwings]

Hi meissie:
Fluorescent lights cause some strange symptoms in people who are sensitive to them. Migraine seems to be the primary complaint about fluorescents, some folks get dizzy or disoriented, some get nauseous, others fatigued, some get eyestrain.

It isn't well understood why some people are bothered by fluorescent lighting. Back in the old days (say, pre-1990), fluorescent lights flickered at a slow enough frequency that the flicker could be perceived by the eye. It was annoying and fatiguing, and it bothered a lot of people. (The same problem occurred with the slow refresh rate of early CRT monitors.)

However, since the '90s, fluorescent lights and ballasts flicker at a frequency that's far faster than the eye/brain can perceive. (Google flicker fusion frequency.) The brain can't react to something it can't see. For the majority of people, that eliminated any symptoms that came from fluorescent lights.

It's possible that in some old buildings that are still using ancient ballasts, there might be some detectable flicker. But in contemporary buildings with newer fixtures, there is no detectable flicker coming from fluorescent lights. So the flicker theory can be put to rest. There's no contemporary research that supports it.

Since flicker isn't a possible cause anymore, it's theorized by people who theorized about these things that the odd symptoms are possibly being caused by certain wavelengths in fluorescent lighting, by radio frequency radiation or electromagnetic emissions.

One of the theories about migraine is that migraineurs are extremely photosensitive, and some characteristic of how fluorescent light is diffused triggers their symptoms. Other research has found that people with brain injuries (MS is a kind of brain injury) are also photosensitive, so may develop various symptoms in the same way that migraineurs do. And some theorists believe that fluorescent sensitivity is a genetic trait.

There's a list of possible reasons why some people develop various symptoms in the presence of fluorescent lights. Once the flickering problem was solved, it became obvious that something else about fluorescents is causing symptoms in susceptible people, but there still aren't any solid answers about what that something is.

[Twenty Miles]

Absolutely!

In all of our offices (work) I place incandescent lamps on people's desks to provide a wash of lighting. Afterwards I always hear comments about how "I get fewer headaches", "I feel better".

[Redwings]

Twenty Miles, that's a good point. Proper task lighting really helps to ease eyestrain. And while fluorescents are sometimes chosen to simulate daylight, incandescents can provide a warm, less harsh light that's easier on the eyes.

And speaking of fluorescents and their sometimes odd effects, I have severe optic nerve damage, and I'm sensitive to glare and certain wavelengths of light. I have fluorescent tubes at home in my kitchen and one of my bathrooms. Even with old (1964) ballasts, the light is consistent, and there isn't much difference in my vision between the fluorescents in my 8-foot ceilings and the incandescents everywhere else in the house. Yet when I go to Target and the grocery store, I get a lot of glare and noticeable field dropout under the fluorescents in their high ceilings. So there's definitely something going on...

[jjs]

Yes, they make me dizzy and queasy - especially if they flicker.

[meissie47]

Thanks everyone! I now know it's not just my imagination. We have nothing but flourescent lighting in our church.My first flare was ON and horrible fatigue. I noticed that while sitting in church it seem to get worse and my eyesight was off. Once I got the steroids the ON and fatigue cleared up they didn't bother me as much.

Now 9 yrs. later since I've been in THIS flare I have been noticing the same thing. I 've also noticed it's taking me longer to recover from my last two flares. I'm hoping that once I finally come out of this I can go back. I miss the fellowship.:

Thanks guys!
Meissie