Sleep disturbance is one of the most common factors linked to ocular migraine. Excessive sleep is a less common trigger as well.
Harsh lighting, long screen time, other visual strain, stress, dehydration, food additives, and other causes all may trigger an ocular migraine, a subtype that focuses in the eye and causes vision changes.
Sleep can also be very helpful during a migraine attack, and may often help stop the attack, particularly in children.
Ocular Migraine Treatment
The visual portion of an ocular migraine usually lasts less than 60 minutes, so most people don't need treatment. It's best to stop what you're doing and rest your eyes until your vision goes back to normal. If you have a headache, take a pain reliever that your doctor recommends.
If you have visual symptoms that have not previously been evaluated by a health care provider, you should see a provider if you have any of the following: Visual changes in only one eye. Visual changes that last less than five minutes and more than 60 minutes. Visual changes without a headache.
Ocular migraine, or migraine with aura, and stroke are two different conditions. Having an attack doesn't mean you're having a stroke or are about to have one. However, research has shown that people with migraine with aura are at an increased risk of stroke.
People with ocular migraines can have a variety of visual symptoms. Typically you will see a small, enlarging blind spot (scotoma) in your central vision with bright, flickering lights (scintillations) or a shimmering zig-zag line (metamorphopsia) inside the blind spot.
The most substantial evidence for magnesium's effectiveness is in patients who have or have had aura with their migraine. It is believed magnesium may prevent the wave of brain signaling, called cortical spreading depression, which produces the visual and sensory changes in the common forms of aura.
Common migraine “triggers” that can cause a susceptible person to have a migraine or ocular migraine attack include certain foods, such as red wine, alcohol, aged cheeses, caffeine, nitrates (often found in smoked or cured meats, hot dogs, and other processed foods), and chocolate.
A typical ocular migraine will last for roughly 30 minutes, usually affecting one eye at a time.
Diagnosing an Ocular Migraine
If you are experiencing any kind of impairment to your vision similar to the symptoms above, it is always important to discuss those with your doctor. A neurologist can help a patient distinguish between whether they are experiencing migraine aura or more serious retinal migraines.
In general, migraines likely involve alterations of blood flow to certain regions of the brain. In the case of ocular migraines, the involved area is the vision center of the brain.
Ocular migraines and stroke are two conditions that share similar symptoms and can often be confused. Although an ocular migraine alone does not indicate a stroke, studies show that those who suffer from ocular migraines may be at a higher risk of experiencing a stroke.
Stress is a common trigger of migraine headaches, including ocular migraine headaches. Since anxiety causes stress, anxiety is a common cause of migraine headaches, including ocular migraine headaches.
Retinal migraines are rare, affecting 1 in 200 migraine sufferers. Retinal migraines cause repeated temporary episodes of blindness in just one eye.
Dehydration is one of several triggers that can exacerbate migraine headaches, including migraine variants like the one you are experiencing. Maintaining good hydration should help reduce the frequency of these visual migraines, which are also known as acephalgic migraine.
The main difference is a migraine with aura will affect both eyes while an ocular migraine affects only one. Both have visual disturbances such as: Flashes of light. Zigzagging patterns.
Many of the same factors that trigger migraine can also trigger migraine with aura, including stress, bright lights, some foods and medications, too much or too little sleep, and menstruation.
People who have migraine may be interested in dietary supplements to prevent or treat attacks, especially if they can't tolerate medications. Some research supports the use of vitamin B2, magnesium, vitamin D, coenzyme Q10, and melatonin to help with migraine.
Ocular migraine refers to a migraine episode with visual symptoms. If it occurs in one eye, it's called retinal migraine. But if it occurs in both eyes, doctors call it migraine with aura.
A visual migraine is a temporary visual distortion that often begins with a small sparkling, shimmering area that slowly expands outward. The growing spot often has jagged, zig-zag edges. The visual symptoms typically last approximately 20-30 minutes and then completely resolve.
Factors that can trigger a migraine aura without a headache are the same factors that trigger one that's followed by head pain—stress, weather changes, food with MSG, light, and demographic factors that increase a person's risk of migraines like genetics.