[HiCCup]

Florescent lights make me soo ill. I work in an office with bright ones and I leave work sick almost every day. I wear my sunglasses most of the day when I'm at my computer but it's like it still gets to me some how. I'm really self conscious about the shades as it is because nobody really understands it at my job. I stop being able to get much of anything done because my eyes won't stop crying and on bad days the lights make me nauseous and give me a migraine. Another thing I don't really understand is how it seems manageable some days and unbearable on others. Anybody with success combating similar?

[CANDC]

HiCCup, sorry you are having trouble with flourescent lights. Have you ever tried wearing a hat with a visor? It shades the light that comes in from the top. Also if you move your monitor or have IT do that, perhaps there would be less glare

Some of these forums might be of interest
Autism and Asperger's Syndrome - Forums at Psych Central

Anxiety, Panic and Phobias - Forums at Psych Central

Depression - Forums at Psych Central

[Lexi232]

have you been able to try any of the lubercating(Refresh) eye drops? (because the tears are the way the eyes say that they need more moisture.)
that may help in the eye symptoms area.


are you able to wear sunglasses when at your desk? or is it a place frequented by others?

maybe trying to keep a food/drink journal for a few days and note which days were better than the others, and see if there is any kind of link to what you may be eating or drinking (caffine, preservatives, dyes, that kind of stuff). and if its more of something or less of something that could be the cause for the unexplained better or worst days.

maybe migraine or headache meds or even prescriptions might help(like pheregin (sp?), but when not used to that med, it will make a person sleep-until a tolerance is built up to the sleepy affect that the med has).

are you allowed to mess with the settings on your computer? or on the monitor? if so, maybe trying different settings on it to see if any of it helps (usually a dimmer(less brightness) screen setting can also help.

[hvert]

I have asked employers to remove the bulbs that are near my desk because they give me a headache. Is there a fixture that is right within your line of sight or something?

[Lexi232]

Im glad! hopefully they will do that.
I think it varies by what affects the person. some people are great with florescent lighting; others are not. they make too much noise for me.
a dimmer bulb may be most helpful, or maybe a lamp that can be put on the desk or on the floor and point it away from you may help. the orange tints and warm tints to bulbs can help with migraines caused by lighting. or whatever color is easier on your eyes.

EDIT: if do-able, a black light might help. or even one of the slightly cheap halloween black bulbs at party and halloween stores might help (or online).

[rosska]

This may not be much help at work, but something I've been looking into lately is 'sensory deprivation tanks'. It's a tank with salt water in it, you go in and float on the water with your ears submerged and the door closes to block out light. It sounds quite appealing having your senses 'muted' for an hour or two considering for most of us a normal day involves having our senses obliterated by what those not on the spectrum consider 'normal' input.

Sadly, there only appears to be one such place near where I live and it doesn't get very good reviews for cleanliness. Since I also have OCD with mild contamination issues, it's putting me off.