Simon Cowell has been seen sporting red glasses in recent months as he judges Britain’s Got Talent in 2024 – but his new look is not a fashion statement.
The 64-year-old media tycoon has explained that his shades are actually to prevent headaches coming on from the lights flashing.
Cowell has said that he suffers with photophobia, acute light sensitivity, which can be migraine inducing.
He said: “The red glasses are because I have lights in my eyes all day long and it’s like a laser and I get migraines and that’s like a filter. They actually do work.”
Cowell is now wearing the red-tinted glasses which are designed for people with migraines and are said to cost just £20.
How many people suffer from migraines?
The NHS states that a migraine tends to be “a very bad headache with a throbbing pain on one side of the head”.
Other symptoms can include tiredness, thirst, changes in mood, a stiff neck and urinating a lot more than usual.
There are also different types of migraine – some can include additional symptoms of seeing flashing lights.
They can last between two hours and three days, with some symptoms starting up to two days before the headache starts.
Migraines affect six million people in the UK.
Do red glasses help with migraines?
The NHS does not suggest wearing red glasses as a potential aid.
But it can help with photophobia, according to Cowell, and also other sufferers – including 22-year-old Caitlin, who shared her experience on the Migraine Trust website.
She wrote: “I invested in a pair of strong polarised and mirrored sunglasses which have now become something I can’t live without.
“They were extremely helpful in reducing the streaks and dots I was seeing in my vision. They also helped with my headaches as they stopped for a while.”
Dr Andy Dowson, clinical lead for East Kent NHS headache service, told the Mail that it can be a big help for anyone suffering from light sensitivity or intolerance.
He said: “Some people in the research I did reported that the frequency of attacks was reduced by half to three-quarters when they regularly wore tinted glasses that blocked out much of the red and blue light.”
What other colours can help prevent migraine?
The glasses are priced between £20 and £300, with different types meeting the different types of need for individuals.
All light is made up of a spectrum of colours with different wavelengths, with blue and purple at one end, red or orange at another.
Sufferers feel different sensitivities to different light types.
Caitlin, referenced above, favours a pair which are a blue and yellow tint.
She said: “I have also branched out into wearing tinted glasses with different coloured lenses. I had times of feeling self-conscious in them as they are quite big and bold but they are very important to me and anything that looks unique, in my opinion, is cool.
“At the moment, I have red, blue and yellow which I wear for indoor use. The different colours, I find, being different strengths help in differing situations. The red, for me, takes out the most light whilst blue works better at night.”