A visual migraine is a temporary visual distortion that often begins with a small sparkling, shimmering area that slowly expands outward.
Ocular migraine usually isn't dangerous, but frequent episodes can disrupt your routine. If you experience sudden vision changes with a migraine, it's important to see a healthcare provider. They'll need to make sure it's not a more serious underlying condition causing your symptoms.
Common triggers include stress, hormonal changes, bright/flashing lights, drinking alcohol (red wine), changes in the weather, skipping meals/not eating enough, or too much or too little sleep.
What Causes an Ocular Migraine? A classic migraine scenario involves a trigger in a patient's environment which causes blood vessel constriction in certain parts of the brain. Triggers can include stress, fatigue, bright lights, certain visual patterns, caffeine or certain foods.
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.
Visual migraines are usually mild in nature and do not require any medical management. However, severe cases need treatment. Home therapy such as resting, tension-relieving and stress-relieving activities and lifestyle modification is usually enough to push back mild migraines.
In another study, Forsyth et al. [5] reported that headaches were similar to ten- sion-type in 77%, migraine-type in 9%, and other types in 14% of 111 patients with a brain tumor. Our cases presented with only migraine-type headache with migraine-like visual aura due to an astrocytoma.
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.
To tell whether you are experiencing an actual or a visual migraine, cover one eye and see if you notice a problem with your vision. Then cover the other eye and check again. If the vision problem is just in one eye, then it is an ocular migraine. If it is in both eyes, then it is a visual migraine.
So if you experience visual loss in one eye, be sure to see a health care provider right away for prompt treatment. 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.
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.
The growing spot often has jagged, zig-zag edges. The visual symptoms typically last approximately 20-30 minutes and then completely resolve.
In another study, Forsyth et al. [5] reported that headaches were similar to ten- sion-type in 77%, migraine-type in 9%, and other types in 14% of 111 patients with a brain tumor. Our cases presented with only migraine-type headache with migraine-like visual aura due to an astrocytoma.
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.
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.
It's rare, but an aneurysm that is large or growing can push on nerves or tissue and cause migraine-like symptoms, including: Headaches. Pain above or behind the eyes.
If the vision problem is just in one eye, then it is an ocular migraine. If it is in both eyes, then it is a visual migraine. The most common symptom associated with ocular migraines is a gradual appearance of a blind spot that affects your field of vision.
Retinal migraines are thought to happen when the blood vessels in your eye suddenly narrow, restricting the blood flow. Things that can cause them include: stress.
Retinal migraine (ocular migraine) is an eye condition. It causes brief attacks of blindness or visual problems like flashing lights in one eye. These attacks can be frightening, but in most cases they're harmless and short-lived.
“Sometimes there's a kind of stroke that can mimic retinal migraine called amaurosis fugax – which means a fleeting visual disturbance – and that's micro clots passing through the blood vessels,” Munro explains. “That's why we would always urge people to go and get checked out by an eye specialist.”
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.
Symptoms of Visual Disturbances from Migraine. Positive symptoms (seeing something that isn't really there) include zig-zag lines which often shimmer (in color, or black/silver) and may move across the field of vision, sparkles, dots, stars, spots, squiggles, and “flash bulb” effects.
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.
Though often overlooked, dehydration is one of the most common causes of migraine headaches—and thus, of visual and ocular migraines. For some especially migraine-sensitive folks, even mild dehydration can trigger a migraine event.