I created this macro to highlight all references of a local variable:
Sub HighlightByContext()
DTE.ExecuteCommand("VAssistX.FindReferencesinFile")
DTE.ExecuteCommand("Window.ActivateDocumentWindow")
DTE.ExecuteCommand("VisualAssistX.RefResultsToggleHighlight")
End Sub
I have assigned it to a keyboard shortcut, so I can access very easily on demand. If you run first time after visual studio start it will take seconds, but after that it will work like a charm. The last line is only needed if you haven't checked "Highlight References" in the Refactoring section of Visual Assist X Options Dialog.
The macro set the focus to the editor instead of find references results, so it will not break your workflow.