According to their manufacturers, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs use 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than traditional bulbs, but some people claim the new bulbs are triggering a painful medical problem.

Dr. Larry Newman of the Headache Institute at Roosevelt Hospital in New York, N.Y., said patients have called him and complained that as soon as the CFLs were turned on, they developed a migraine.

"I know as a migraine sufferer, those lights trigger my headaches," Newman said. "Normal fluorescent lights don't, but those lights have actually given me headaches."

Because the light bulbs are relatively new, the research is limited, but lighting experts said there is reason to investigate the claims further.

"I don't think it should be dismissed," said Miriana Figueiro, Ph.D., of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. "There might be something abut the technology that we don't know yet, that we haven't identified yet, that may be triggering that headache."

The newer technology in the CFLs have eliminated the flickering associated with older fluorescent bulbs. Figueiro said a new effect may be to blame.

"There might be what we call interharmonics, which are some low frequencies in between the high frequencies that may be triggering some of those headaches or some people may be more sensitive," said Figueiro.

As the new light bulbs become more popular, experts are concerned about the potential for widespread problems.

"If in fact it's just a handful of people who are sensitive to it, then it's not really a big issue," said Newman. "But if you think there's 30 million Americans who have migraines, and if an overwhelming proportion of people start to develop headaches, it's going to be a really big health issue."

Newman suggested that prior to replacing all of the lights in your home with CFLs, try one room first to make sure that no problems arise.