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.
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 migraines are typically caused by reduced blood flow or spasms of blood vessels in the retina or behind the eye.
Magnesium
A lack of magnesium has been linked to headaches and migraines. Comparatively, magnesium supplementation sometimes helps people treat visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting and other migraine symptoms. Research shows magnesium sometimes offers a preventative migraine treatment.
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.
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.
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.
But during a migraine, these stimuli feel like an all-out assault. The result: The brain produces an outsize reaction to the trigger, its electrical system (mis)firing on all cylinders. This electrical activity causes a change in blood flow to the brain, which in turn affects the brain's nerves, causing pain.
Magnesium and migraines
Magnesium oxide is frequently used to prevent migraines. You can take it in pill form, with a general recommended dosage of about 400 to 500 milligrams a day.
The authors of the review suggest that vitamin D suppresses inflammation and nitric oxide, influences the release of neurotransmitters, and can influence pain. These are mechanisms that may contribute to migraine headaches if there is a deficiency.
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.
Topical beta blocker eye drops achieve therapeutic plasma levels within minutes of ocular administration which may explain their apparent effectiveness in relief of acute migraine symptoms.
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.
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.
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.
It is estimated that visual aura occurs in 20 to 25 percent of people with migraine headaches. However, the frequency of visual aura alone (ocular migraine) is not known because many people who have this as an isolated symptom do not seek medical care.
The risk of stroke almost triples for those who suffer from regular ocular migraines, according to the American Stroke Association. This is because a migraine with an aura causes blood vessels to narrow further and as a result increases the risk of stroke.
TIA appears more abruptly and is usually of shorter duration. Negativity is typical for it, i.e. part of the visual field, speech, eye movement, ability to swallow, sensation or muscle strength disappear without the above mentioned features of migraine.
Vitamin B2 Deficiency
The B vitamins help to protect from headaches, according to the National Headache Foundation, but it is B2 (riboflavin) that really stands out and where a deficiency may lead to headaches.
What's the Link Between Magnesium and Migraines? Studies have found that people who have migraines tend to have lower levels of magnesium than people who don't get headaches. Some scientists believe that magnesium blocks signals in the brain that lead to migraines with an aura, or changes in vision and other senses.
“Bananas are a great food for quick energy recovery, and they're high in magnesium, which can be helpful when people have headaches,” she says.