Supermarket lighting.

[Ispini]

Hi, just wondering if anyone else feels a bit dizzy when in big supermarkets with bright lightening. I had a funny turn about 18 months ago in a major supermarket. I was taken to A&E by ambulance but was discharged being told it was just one of those things or a virus.
Today I was at a self service till and started to feel very shaky. I ended up leaving half my shopping and leaving the shop. Once in the fresh air I felt completely fine. Has anyone else felt like this? I know this is a health issue but thought I would post here for traffic. AIBU to think I should just stick to small local shops and not brave big shops again but ask my DH to do weekly shops instead? He would have no problem with this as he is great but I feel a bit guilty as I work shorter hours.

Yes I do in some supermarkets and other settings. This is linked to my “visual stress”. I have tinted lenses which help with this and find that a cap with a brim can be needed in some. It may not be something you experience but I thought I’d mention the crossover with my experience.

A specialist optometrist will assess whether you have the condition should you wish to pursue this and will also check eye health in general in case it’s linked to anything else.

Out local Asda has a night when some lights are reduced. Maybe see if your local supermarket does something similar?

Yes usually in large supermarkets such as Asda and it's usually in the same sections where it is triggered and this is the cereal aisle where I think the repetition of all the boxes stacked up high mustn't help

Tesco have quiet hours every Wednesday and Saturday 9-10am. I think the larger stores dim the lighting during those times, if that’s any help.

I think it’s the brightness of the lights, general lack of natural light and the shiny floor combination usually found in supermarkets.

I used to get awful occular migraines when I was working in retail, would often spend entire days walking around with swirling prisms in one eye, would occasionally experience dizziness with it. Have very rarely had them since leaving retail.

Thank you so much for your reassuring responses. I actually had an eye test yesterday and everything is good, I just need to continue with my reading glasses. To be honest I got a bit freaked out and couldn’t get out of the supermarket quickly enough.
I don’t want to consult Dr. Google as god knows what that will turn up!

Not in supermarkets, but I find the lighting in Smiggle awful and I hate going in there (luckily DD has largely grown out of their stuff now).

It is no coincidence that I go to Tesco on Wednesdays at 9am!

I figured out it is a migraine trigger for me which is fun. Now I pay extra to get my groceries delivered because I just can't bear it!

I get this! My local Sainsburys is fine but I can't step inside the big Morrison's without feeling discombobulated. When I lived in another part of the country it was Tesco's that set me off. No idea what it is!

That sounds horrible for you. Can you get your shopping delivered?

I feel the same in Tesco since they changed the lights too! Actually thought I was going to pass out. I do click and collect as much as possible now or take my eldest with me.

Can't imagine having to work there, must be awful for the employees

Yeah I get this feeling, I think it brings on anxiety a bit and I have to make an effort to stay calm.

Once I went in an escape room that had I think red lighting, and I started freaking out - the staff changed the light colour and I felt fine, they said it was not an uncommon reaction.

I'm also really sensitive to bright light. And a sudden shift into bright sunlight often makes me sneeze. Eyesight and health all fine!

Yes, exactly the same here. Being in a supermarket can trigger a panic attack or push me to the brink of one. The other day in Asda I felt so dizzy. like I had to put my arms out to steady myself as I "flew" down the aisle! It think it's the bright lights and the reflections of them off all the bright, shiny packaging. It's just too much to take in at once and process. This is a new thing for me (2 years or so) and I think it is related to peri (I am 48 and have started to suffer from anxiety).

Could you be allergic to flowers which are often next to tills? I’m allergic to lilies and had it once at the shop when several lilies bouquets were near by.

Yes, I sometimes get an anxious feeling in supermarkets and I am sure it is related to the lighting.

Yes I do too. There's a big Tesco nearby that I can't go in for longer than 5 mins as I start feeling faint and like I'm going to pass out. I feel so oppressed in there and it feels like the ceiling is coming down on me. It's so strange. Have had it other supermarkets too but always in this tesco

ASDA always does this to me. It's the way the lights flicker in there. It's happened in multiple Asdas but I can be fine in Sainsbury's. If I need anything from Asda I always do a click and collect from them, as more than ten minutes under their lights I start to get a headache.

I am very photosensitive though, part of having bad migraines.

Yes that's painful!

I'm fine with Tesco and Sainsbury's but the lighting in Asda always makes me feel ill!

Omg yes! Also in Marks and Spencer. I have to shield my eyes with my hands and squint to see signs for other departments etc.
I do also feel a but dizzy too. I get that thing where I get really dizzy when I stand up from crouching so I wonder if it's connected.

Yes! I sound such an arse for saying this BUT I do find the pricier shops less of an issue. I don't go into ASDA or Morrisons and avoid Tesco where possible. I don't experience it in Sainsburys, M&S or Waitrose.

I really am not some posh type getting the vapours over the working classes before anyone starts.

Oh my, I hadnt thought of the lighting being the issue. But my local Asda has this effect and the giant out of town tesco. I rarely go to either now because of the silent migraines they trigger. Hadnt even wondered why, but this makes sense.

Local restaurant has some kind of LED lighting that has a very high flicker rate; I can't handle it at all.

I used to get this but only in Maplin shops weirdly 😂 I'd get faint and feel so dizzy and sick. Never experienced it anywhere else. It was definitely the lighting