Posted By Paul Leadbetter Bob Are the lights in question fluorescent? If so, one possibility is photo-epilepsy caused by the mains flicker. The employee in question should be referred to her GP. Paul

Posted By Ron Hunter Your lights may or may not be the cause, but please do not take lightly (no pun intended)someone who is unfortunate enough to suffer from migraine. Even moderate light levels can be intolerable when an attack is in full swing.

Posted By Karen Wilson We have managed to alleviate a similar problem by using colour tinted monitor overlays. These are available in a variety of colours and affected individuals may have a preference for a different colour from another sufferer. There are also coloured overlays available for use over A4 sheets, or perspex rulers also. I had never heard of these until my daughter was troubled at school. She requires a pink overlay over her text as the glare coming off the paper was causing her immense problems. She was also seeing colours around the edges of the paper. Resultant headaches and serious nausea - and she is only 8 years. The doctor is of the opinion that these could have been migraines. Since the pink overlays she has completely settled and overcome her difficulty. We applied the same principle in the workplace for the lady suffering similar difficulty to that which you have described. She has shown a preference for the mauve sheet. If you visit the following website you will find out much more information. http://www.crossboweducation.com Some opticians will provide a colour overlay preference test as part of their eye examination. Apparently most sufferers show a preference for either blue or yellow. If the individual finds the coloured overlays of benefit, then there is also the option of having a full "scoptic screen" - where an individual can be issued with glasses with the appropriate tint applied - even to a non-prescription lens if required. It is worth investigating. The overlays are not expensive. I would be interested to know if you follow this on through and how effective it turns out to be. Suggest you contact a few of the local opticians to see if they provide this service (not all do). [And of course - different bulbs/tubes emit light of different - whats the word? refractive index?..(no don't think that is the correct phrase}...anyhow...one supermarket likes the 'orange bulb' - so that their meat always looks red, a gents outfitter changed their lightbulbs to get rid of navy blue suits - which under the shop lights look grey - and then changed the bulbs back again once the excess stock had been cleared...., a car component paint spray manufacturer requires specific 'colour emitting light' to enable the 'true colour' to be seen properly within the factory environment...the physics of this is a little beyond me - but you could also check the colour emission from existing lights - its not just the lux value that is of significance] Hope this helps Karen

Posted By Chris Packham If your person is working under fluorescent lighting, this may be an explanation of a genuine problem. Some years ago I had to work in an office with no external windows and lit exclusively with fluorescent lights. I am a spectacle wearer. After about two weeks I started to notice frequent headaches. When I visited the optician (incidentally this was in Germany) he examined my eyes and immediately asked the question: "Do you work under fluorescent light?" He then prescribed slightly tinted spectacles, which resolved the problem. He commented that this was not an uncommon problem. In another job (again in Germany) we found that with one piece of machinery we were getting a stroboscopic effect under fluorescent light, i.e. the rotating shaft appeared to be stationary. This did not happen under tungstent filament light. Remember that fluorescent light is actually a series of flashes, generally of such frequency and duration that they cannot be detected by the human eye. However, there is evidence that they can cause problems in certain people. Chris

Posted By CFT Bob If all that could be done has been done, survey, lux testing, any stroboscopic effects (I love that terminology)DSE and ergonomic surveys, possibly sending the employee to a nominated company OHN or Doc then you have done what would be expected to alleviate the problem, and would probably be best to wait for the medical/opthalmist report before making a final decision. I see little else that can be done for the on-going well being of this employee. It may end up that the work is not suitable with their current condition, and a change in direction may be a consideration. Document all findings with the cooperation of the individual. CFT