Migraine and light sensitivity: what to track
During a migraine, ordinary light can feel harsh, even painful — the reason so many people retreat to a dark, quiet room. This is photophobia, and it's one of the most recognisable parts of an attack. Logging it won't dim the world, but a dated record of when light sensitivity appears and how strong it gets adds real detail to the picture you bring to an appointment.
Why light hurts during a migraine
Photophobia is so characteristic of migraine that ICHD-3 uses sensitivity to light together with sensitivity to sound as one of the criteria for describing an attack. The American Migraine Foundation explains it through pathways connecting the light-sensing cells of the eye to the same brain regions involved in migraine pain, which is why light that's normally comfortable can feel overwhelming during an attack. For many people the sensitivity eases as the attack settles.
What logging light sensitivity reveals
Photophobia can begin in the premonitory phase, before the headache, and can linger afterwards — so noting when it starts and ends helps map the full shape of your attacks. A dated 0–3 log shows a clinician how consistently light sensitivity features and how much it disrupts you, rather than leaving it as 'bright light bothers me'. Temple records that pattern; it doesn't diagnose it.
What's worth recording
A 0–3 for how strong the light sensitivity is, when it appears relative to the headache, and whether it forced you to stop what you were doing is enough. Logging it beside sound sensitivity is especially useful, since the two often travel together and appear side by side in how attacks are described.
Temple logs light-sensitivity severity and timing in one tap, right beside sound sensitivity, so the pair show up clearly in the record you bring to your appointment.
Common questions
- Why am I so sensitive to light during a migraine?
- It's a core migraine feature: pathways between the eye and the brain regions active in an attack make normal light feel painful. ICHD-3 counts light sensitivity among the symptoms used to describe migraine, so it's expected rather than unusual.
- Should I track light sensitivity if it happens before the headache?
- Yes. Photophobia in the premonitory phase is easy to dismiss, and logging when it starts helps show the full arc of your attacks. Recording it does not let an app predict an attack — it simply builds an honest record of what your attacks involve.