Visual Migraine:
The visual migraine aura usually moves across your field of view and disappears within 30 minutes. Ocular migraine symptoms generally include a small blind spot that affects your central vision in one eye. This blind spot gets larger, making it impossible for you to drive safely or read with the affected eye.
Prescription drugs are another way to manage acute and serious cases of visual migraines. There’s no cure for migraine with aura, but your doctor can help you create a plan to help prevent episodes. Over time, you may be able to see patterns between certain lifestyle factors and when your migraine episodes occur. Some apps can also help keep track of your migraine episodes. Still, migraine with aura can have some serious complications.
Imaging studies have revealed changes in blood flow to the brain during ocular migraines and migraine auras. But why this happens and what brings about the spontaneous resolution of ocular migraines and see posts remain unknown. An ocular migraine is a term that’s sometimes used to describe types of migraine that cause visual disturbances.
About one-third of people who have migraine episodes have auras. Almost all these people experience temporary vision changes during their episodes. Retinal migraine causes brief vision loss or other visual problems in one eye. It usually causes partial or total vision loss for 10 to 20 minutes.
An ocular migraine (retinal migraine) is a migraine that causes temporary vision loss in one eye. The term ocular migraine can also be used to describe migraine with aura. A migraine aura causes visual disturbances like flashing lights and zig-zags. Types of more info, or ocular migraine, include migraine with aura and retinal migraine. Both of these are neurological conditions wherein a person may experience visual disturbances or vision loss alongside a headache.
Depending on the underlying cause, the preferred medical terms are retinal migraine or migraine with aura. Medical professionals no longer use the term ocular migraine. Still, many people use it to refer to any migraine that causes visual symptoms. It can include migraine with aura, which usually causes symptoms in both eyes, or retinal migraine, which causes symptoms in one eye. People mistake retinal migraine for migraine visual aura, which arises from the brain. ‘People will sometimes say ‘eye migraine’ and what they really mean is visual aura and migraine, or migraine pain in one eye’ says Dr. Friedman.
The other medications used as preventive treatments frequently cause side effects, but starting with a low dose and then increasing very slowly is usually a helpful strategy. Some commonly tried medications include amitriptyline, gabapentin, and topiramate. see post Less commonly, medications such as propranolol or valproic acid are used. For some patients, botulinum injections (in the forehead and scalp) can help reduce headaches. Many individuals can identify specific triggers for their migraines.
Because of this, it’s important to seek medical care if you experience sudden changes in your vision. Although the attacks can be painful and disturb your vision, healthcare provider generally consider ocular migraine to be benign. The visual issues of ocular migraines typically last five to 60 minutes. But the headache can last from four to 72 hours if it’s not treated.
Researchers found that when mice were sleep deprived, they were more likely to experience migraine-like pain, but migraine-like pain did not disrupt normal sleep. Sleep was assessed using electroencephalogram recordings and visual observations. The aura stage is often marked by confusion, hallucinations (both auditory and olfactory), tingling or numbness, or vertigo. In the headache stage, you may encounter hot flashes or chills and sensitivity to light or sound. The postdrome stage may trigger dizziness, muscle aches, or a stiff neck.
Some options for relief without drugs can include resting your eyes, removing yourself from bright sunlight or other harsh lighting, and taking a break from looking at a screen. As with all types of migraine, try to avoid triggers like stress, dehydration, high altitude, low blood sugar, excessive heat and extensive time spent staring at a screen. If you have blind spots or other visual symptoms and aren’t sure whether they’re due to an ocular migraine or a visual migraine, cover one eye at a time and observe your sense of sight. If the visual disturbance affects one eye only, it’s most likely an ocular migraine. Many patients with isolated visual migraines, without severe headaches, have relatively infrequent episodes that do not require specific preventive treatments.
We recommend exploring complementary treatments such as biofeedback, green light therapy and aerobic exercise. Learn how these common therapies can help you manage migraine. Yawning and fatigue are typical symptoms of prodrome, the first phase of a migraine attack. Other symptoms can include food cravings and difficulty concentrating. If you think you may have migraine, these answers to common questions can help you further investigate this possibility with a doctor. Triptans, for example, aren’t safe if you’re at risk for a stroke, which may be the case for people experiencing temporary blindness in one eye.
Seek immediate medical help if you or someone you know has these symptoms. You’ll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox.
However, sometimes, a person can develop visual disturbances, such as seeing stars, without getting a headache. Migraine aura is a wave of activity in the brain traveling through the brain. The location of the wave of activity in the brain determines the type of aura. About 90% of people who have migraine with aura have this type. It’s thought that auras are usually visual because such a large portion of the brain processes visual information.
Most people get very sensitive to light once their migraine pain starts, even if they don’t see an aura beforehand. Since they start in your brain, you’ll still be able to see things like flashing lights or bright spots with your eyes closed. One in every four people who get migraines sees an aura beforehand. Others will only experience symptoms like headache, nausea and vomiting.
The exact cause of ocular migraine is not entirely understood. However, certain triggers have been identified including bright lights, stress, and more. It’s important to work with your obstetrician and your headache doctor when you have migraine to establish a safe treatment plan. If you’re not already working with a headache doctor, use our Find a Doctor tool to find someone in your area. Plan to discuss the FDA’s safety guide for medication use during pregnancy.