Avulux
Also called Avulux migraine glasses
Avulux is a migraine spectacle lens that blocks two bands of light, near 480 nm and 590 nm, and passes the rest of the visible spectrum.1 The 480 nm band sits near the peak sensitivity of melanopsin, the photopigment of the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells.2
The FDA authorized Avulux in August 2026 through the De Novo pathway, as a class I over-the-counter device to lessen the impact of light sensitivity in people 12 and older with episodic migraine, alongside their usual care.1,3 Its one published trial, run by the company with 78 participants, did not meet its primary goal of greater pain relief at two hours; the benefits it reported came from analyses chosen after the data were in.4
More detail
The FDA lists a delayed response to time-sensitive color signals among the risks of this device type. Because the type is class I and exempt from premarket notification, other lenses of the same type can be sold for this use without FDA premarket review.1
Earlier work led by the trial's senior author tested the idea in chronic migraine, where lenses with a 480 nm notch and with a 620 nm notch meant as a sham lowered headache impact by similar amounts.5 In blepharospasm, lenses blocking 480 nm or 590 nm both lowered blink rate under flashing light.6
Sources (6)
- US Food and Drug Administration. De Novo classification order DEN250026, Avulux (21 CFR 882.5811).
- Lucas RJ, Peirson SN, Berson DM, et al. Measuring and using light in the melanopsin age. Trends Neurosci. 2014;37(1):1-9.
- US Food and Drug Administration. De Novo database record DEN250026, Avulux. Granted August 21, 2026.
- Posternack C, Kupchak P, Capriolo AI, Katz BJ. Targeting the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell to reduce headache pain and light sensitivity in migraine: a randomized double-blind trial. J Clin Neurosci. 2023;113:22-31.
- Hoggan RN, Subhash A, Blair S, et al. Thin-film optical notch filter spectacle coatings for the treatment of migraine and photophobia. J Clin Neurosci. 2016;28:71-76.
- Wu Y, Cho HJ, Panyakaew P, et al. Effect of light on blinking in patients with idiopathic isolated blepharospasm. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2019;67:66-71.
Reviewed October 2026
Through the lens
This drawing passes about 71% of visible light. No transmission curve is published, so the notch width and depth are assumed. Curve: Drawn from the 480 and 590 nm bands in the FDA order (FDA order).
Simulated from the lens’s transmission curve.