Why these settings: the evidence behind every Migraine Mode default

Updated 2026-11-02

Quick answerEvery Migraine Mode default comes from published studies: a soft-green tint at 40%, dimming matched to room light, smart dark mode, 90% contrast, wider line spacing and no animations or autoplay. The evidence is limited or indirect for most, and Migraine Mode itself has not been clinically tested.
Medical disclaimer. Migraine Mode is a screen-comfort tool, not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent migraine or any other condition, and it does not replace a doctor. Each setting is based on studies of light, colour, flicker, patterns or motion; Migraine Mode itself has not been tested in a clinical study.

Summary

SettingDefault valueEvidence
Tint: soft green (default)Green-enriched white, 40% strengthLimited
Tint: rose, FL-41-style (option)Rose, 40% strengthLimited
Tint: amber (option)Off by defaultEvidence against
Dimming10% bright room · 25% dim room · 40% dark room (+5–10% on HDR, wide-gamut or high-density screens)Moderate
Smart dark modeOn; already-dark sites are skippedLimited
Contrast90% (80% if the OS asks for less, 100% if it asks for more)Limited
Softer text stripes (line spacing)Line height 1.65 on paragraphs and listsLimited
Pause GIFs and animations · block autoplayOnLimited
Reduce motionOnLimited
Saturation100% (no change)Not studied
Mute tabsOff (not part of the preset)Not studied
Per-screen starting valuesRules of thumb from resolution, pixel ratio, HDR and colour gamutNot studied

Levels: Moderate = several migraine studies point the same way, though small. Limited = small, indirect or mixed studies (often not in migraine, or with lenses or room light instead of screens). Evidence against = studies found it worse. Not studied = comfort option only. No setting has strong evidence.

What changed in the November 2026 audit

  • The default tint is now soft green instead of rose: the two light-colour studies in people with migraine (Noseda 2016; Fani 2026) found green the least aggravating, while red light was worse. Rose stays as an option.
  • Corrected the Noseda 2016 numbers: green was 530 ± 10 nm, and at low intensity it reduced pain in about 20% of patients, by up to about 15%.
  • Amber is labelled evidence against. Saturation, tab muting and per-screen adjustments are labelled not studied and stay off or neutral.
  • Every study below links to its DOI and, where indexed, PubMed.

Tint: soft green (default) Limited

Value: Green-enriched white, 40% strength

During untreated attacks (41 patients), narrow-band green light (530 ± 10 nm) worsened headache less than white, blue, amber or red; at low intensity (1–5 cd/m²) it lowered pain in about 20% of patients, by up to ~15% (Noseda 2016). In 20 adults, green-enriched white room light caused the least discomfort during and between attacks; blue-, red- and cyan-enriched white caused more (Fani 2026). Not tested on screens: an RGB screen cannot emit narrow-band light, and the 40% strength is our choice so pages still look white, as in Fani 2026.

  • Noseda R, Bernstein CA, Nir RR, … Burstein R. Migraine photophobia originating in cone-driven retinal pathways. Brain 2016;139(7):1971–1986. doi:10.1093/brain/aww119 · PubMed 27190022
  • Fani M, Sharp N, Schwedt TJ, et al. Reducing light sensitivity during and between migraine attacks: a prospective study investigating spectral tuning of white light. Cephalalgia 2026. doi:10.1177/03331024261439257
  • Martin LF, Patwardhan AM, Jain SV, et al. Evaluation of green light exposure on headache frequency and quality of life in migraine patients: a preliminary one-way cross-over clinical trial. Cephalalgia 2021;41(2):135–147. doi:10.1177/0333102420956711 · PubMed 32903062
  • American Headache Society. Why light can cause pain during migraine: Q&A with Dr. Rami Burstein. Link
  • American Migraine Foundation. Photophobia (light sensitivity) and migraine. Link

Tint: rose, FL-41-style (option) Limited

Value: Rose, 40% strength

20 children wearing rose FL-41 glasses went from 6.2 to 1.6 attacks a month over 4 months; a density-matched blue tint gave no lasting change (Good 1991). Lenses with a 480 nm notch were no better than a 620 nm 'sham' filter in chronic migraine (Hoggan 2016), and individually chosen precision tints were only 'suggestive' (Wilkins 2002). The Migraine Trust says there is not enough high-quality evidence to recommend tinted glasses. These are glasses worn between attacks, not screen tints, and red light worsened headache in Noseda 2016, so rose is no longer the default.

Tint: amber (option) Evidence against

Value: Off by default

Amber light (590 nm) worsened migraine headache about as much as white light, and more than green (Noseda 2016). A very warm 2800 K screen caused the most visual fatigue in a display study (Xie 2024). Kept only as an option for people who prefer it.

  • Noseda R, Bernstein CA, Nir RR, … Burstein R. Migraine photophobia originating in cone-driven retinal pathways. Brain 2016;139(7):1971–1986. doi:10.1093/brain/aww119 · PubMed 27190022
  • Xie X et al. Effects of screen color mode and color temperature on visual fatigue under different ambient illuminations. Int J Hum–Comput Interact 2024. doi:10.1080/10447318.2024.2305982

Dimming Moderate

Value: 10% bright room · 25% dim room · 40% dark room (+5–10% on HDR, wide-gamut or high-density screens)

People with migraine have lower discomfort thresholds to white light even between attacks (Main 2000), and lower light intensity consistently reduced discomfort during and between attacks (Fani 2026). Comfortable screen luminance rises and falls with room light (Zhou 2021; Kim 2017), so dimming follows the room instead of going as dark as possible; clinicians also warn that living in the dark can increase light sensitivity (Digre 2012; AMF). The screen-type extras are rules of thumb, not study results.

  • Main A, Vlachonikolis I, Dowson A. The wavelength of light causing photophobia in migraine and tension-type headache between attacks. Headache 2000;40(3):194–199. doi:10.1046/j.1526-4610.2000.00028.x · PubMed 10759921
  • Fani M, Sharp N, Schwedt TJ, et al. Reducing light sensitivity during and between migraine attacks: a prospective study investigating spectral tuning of white light. Cephalalgia 2026. doi:10.1177/03331024261439257
  • Zhou et al. Investigation of the optimum display luminance of an LCD screen under different ambient illuminances in the evening. Applied Sciences 2021;11(9):4108. doi:10.3390/app11094108
  • Kim et al. Optimum display luminance dependence on ambient illuminance. Optical Engineering 2017;56(1):017110. doi:10.1117/1.OE.56.1.017110
  • Digre KB, Brennan KC. Shedding light on photophobia. J Neuroophthalmol 2012;32(1):68–81. doi:10.1097/WNO.0b013e3182474548 · Full text
  • American Migraine Foundation. Photophobia (light sensitivity) and migraine. Link

Smart dark mode Limited

Value: On; already-dark sites are skipped

Dark mode cuts the light a mostly white page emits. Visual-fatigue studies in people without migraine are mixed: less fatigue in dark mode at night and in low light (Xie 2021; Xie 2024), benefit only in bright light on phones (ACHI 2024), and no difference on tablets (2025 trial). No study tested dark mode during migraine.

  • Xie X, Song F, Liu Y, et al. Study on the effects of display color mode and luminance contrast on visual fatigue. IEEE Access 2021;9:35915–35923. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3061770
  • Xie X et al. Effects of screen color mode and color temperature on visual fatigue under different ambient illuminations. Int J Hum–Comput Interact 2024. doi:10.1080/10447318.2024.2305982
  • Dark vs. light mode on smartphones: effects on eye fatigue. ACHI 2024 (conference paper). Link
  • Immediate effects of light mode and dark mode features on visual fatigue in tablet users. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2025;22(4):609. doi:10.3390/ijerph22040609 · PubMed 40283833

Contrast Limited

Value: 90% (80% if the OS asks for less, 100% if it asks for more)

Discomfort and illusions from striped patterns rise steeply with contrast (Wilkins 1984), and people with migraine are more susceptible (Shepherd 2013; Monger 2015). But low text contrast increased visual fatigue (Xie 2021), so we only soften contrast slightly. The 90% value itself has not been tested.

  • Wilkins A, Nimmo-Smith I, Tait A, McManus C, Della Sala S, et al. A neurological basis for visual discomfort. Brain 1984;107(4):989–1017. doi:10.1093/brain/107.4.989 · PubMed 6509314
  • Shepherd AJ, Hine TJ, Beaumont HM. Color and spatial frequency are related to visual pattern sensitivity in migraine. Headache 2013;53(7):1087–1103. doi:10.1111/head.12062 · PubMed 23464876
  • Monger L, Wilkins A, Allen P. Pattern glare: the effects of contrast and color. Front Psychol 2015;6:1651. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01651
  • Xie X, Song F, Liu Y, et al. Study on the effects of display color mode and luminance contrast on visual fatigue. IEEE Access 2021;9:35915–35923. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3061770

Softer text stripes (line spacing) Limited

Value: Line height 1.65 on paragraphs and lists

Lines of text form a pattern of stripes; judged clarity depended most on the spacing between lines (Wilkins & Nimmo-Smith 1987), and stripes within words slow reading (Wilkins 2007). WCAG 1.4.12 uses 1.5 as the line-height pages must support. 1.65 is our choice above that reference; it has not been tested as a migraine intervention.

Pause GIFs and animations · block autoplay Limited

Value: On

People with migraine have lower flicker-fusion thresholds (Coleston 1995; Kowacs 2005), see the phantom-array effect more, and 41% reported a headache within 4 h of flicker testing vs 8% of controls (Miller 2024). Flicker also slowed reading (Laycox 2024). These studies used flickering light, not web animations, so the link to GIFs and autoplay video is indirect. WCAG 2.3.1 limits flashing to three per second.

Reduce motion Limited

Value: On

Visually induced vertigo is part of the diagnostic criteria for vestibular migraine (Lempert 2012), and people with vestibular migraine show increased visual-motion sensitivity and motion-sickness susceptibility (Wurthmann 2021; Bourdillon 2026). WCAG 2.3.3 asks sites to let users turn off motion. No study tested reduced web motion in migraine.

  • Lempert T, Olesen J, Furman J, et al. Vestibular migraine: diagnostic criteria. J Vestib Res 2012;22(4):167–172. doi:10.3233/VES-2012-0453
  • Wurthmann S, Naegel S, Roesner M, et al. Sensitized rotatory motion perception and increased susceptibility to motion sickness in vestibular migraine. Eur J Neurol 2021. doi:10.1111/ene.14889
  • Bourdillon et al. Visual motion sensitivity in vestibular migraine. Otology & Neurotology 2026. doi:10.1097/MAO.0000000000004948
  • W3C. WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.3.3: Animation from Interactions. Link

Saturation Not studied

Value: 100% (no change)

We found no study of desaturating screens for migraine, so it is off by default. You can lower it for comfort.

Mute tabs Not studied

Value: Off (not part of the preset)

Sound sensitivity is common in migraine, but we found no study of muting browser tabs. Comfort option only.

Per-screen starting values Not studied

Value: Rules of thumb from resolution, pixel ratio, HDR and colour gamut

An extension cannot read your monitor's real brightness, backlight or PWM flicker. These adjustments are educated guesses, not study results; the 10-second calibration lets you correct them.

When to see a doctor

Emergency: Call emergency services (112 / 911 / 999) now if a headache is sudden and extremely painful ("worst ever"), or comes with weakness or numbness, trouble speaking, confusion or drowsiness, a seizure, loss of vision, a stiff neck with fever or a rash, or follows a head injury.

Soon: See a doctor soon if headaches are new or have changed pattern, started after age 50, keep getting worse, wake you up, are triggered by coughing, sneezing or exertion, come with vision problems, jaw pain or a tender scalp, happen during pregnancy, or if you have cancer or a weakened immune system. Also if you need painkillers on many days a month.

  • NHS. Headaches: when and where to get medical help. Link
  • Do TP, Remmers A, Schytz HW, et al. Red and orange flags for secondary headaches in clinical practice: SNNOOP10 list. Neurology 2019;92(3):134–144. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000006697 · PubMed 30587518
  • NICE. Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management (CG150). Link

FAQ

Why is the default tint green and not rose?

In migraine light studies, green light worsened headache least (Noseda 2016) and green-enriched white was least uncomfortable (Fani 2026); red light was worse. Rose evidence comes from small studies of glasses.

Is Migraine Mode clinically proven?

No. Its settings are based on studies of light, flicker, patterns and motion, but the extension itself has not been tested in a clinical trial.

Can Migraine Mode change my monitor's brightness or PWM?

No. It cannot read or control the backlight or PWM; it only applies CSS filters on top of web pages.

Is Migraine Mode a medical device?

No. It does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent migraine and does not replace a doctor.