Discomfort and Reading Speed: Effects of Migraine

Uncomfortable visual environments that contain bright colors and striped patterns can induce illusions, headaches, and seizures. However, there is debate surrounding the effects of these environments on visual processing and the individual differences in these effects. We used chromatic grating patterns that differed in their color difference (e.g., red/blue compared to pink/purple) to examine their effects on reading speed – a visually demanding task. 112 participants took part, including 25 migraine and 37 headache-free individuals. Reading speed was slower when reading stripy compared to less-stripy text and there was a small non-linear effect of color on reading speed. Individuals with migraine tended to read slower compared to headache-free individuals. We conclude that stripy text negatively affects processing, but color presented in the periphery may not be noxious enough to disrupt processing. The slower reading in migraine highlights the visual demands involved in reading, supporting the need for visually comfortable text.