I wanted to follow up on some earlier postings I had done and what path I have decided to try for my Migraines.  Originally, I posted a question about what alterations/accommodations have you made to your car for your Migraines. 

Some of the answers I received ultimately led me down the path of investigating having my car windows tinted (aka window sun-screening) so I posted to the forum asking for any ones knowledge about tinted windows where I received some more helpful responses.  

Our different states have various laws on the amount of tinting allowed, which windows can be tinted and at what percents.  You can look here at the different state tint laws and if your state allows medical exemptions in their existing law. 

My state does not allow the front door windows to be tinted unless you have a medical exemption which I applied for.  It only took two weeks from the time my doctor completed the form and I mailed it into the state until I received my medical exemption approval card.  I was not expecting it back this quickly and ended up finishing a lot of my research today.

Did you know you can even have your house windows tinted? Did you know that window tinting will reduce the heat inside of the car? Will reduce glare? Will block Ultraviolet (UV) Rays? That you can get a clear window film, with no tinting, that will block UV Rays and some glare.

I don't think any states allow tinting on the front windshield although some states do allow a small visor tint, but when I received my exemption, I was also approved for a clear windshield sun-screening which I was not expecting. The approvals I received were for minimum percentage levels of visible light transmission (VLT), UV transmission and visible light reflection.

The VLT is a measure of the amount of total visible light that passes through the glass. Different tints will offer different VLT amounts to help vision in various light conditions. UV light is a portion of the light spectrum that is not visible to the eye. There are two bands of the UV spectrum, UVA and UVB. The light reflection is the percentage of light reflected by the surface of the glass.

The lower the VLT number, the darker the tint. I test drove a friend's truck that has window tinting to see how it was driving at night and to see how I liked his tinting.  The truck I drove had a VLT of 20. I was approved for the front side windows to have a VLT of 60.

Although this is much lighter than the 20 I had driven, I believe it will be much easier to drive at night and in the rain. I also believe it will help me during the day when the sun is beaming in and with the sun glare.  I am hoping it is going to take the edge off of the pain from the sun and other lights. 

To give you a visual, here is a sample chart of different VLT spectrum's: