Eye Migraine

Eye Migraine

Eye Migraine Also referred to as occular migraine. As you must be aware, a migraine is a severe headache, which can affect either one side or both sides of your head. The onset of a migraine is signaled by several symptoms, different from one person to another, and the treatment for a migraine headache may also vary from person to person. An eye migraine (also referred to as occular migraine or visual migraine) is a migraine attack that is accompanied by the so-called aura. An aura can typically last from five to twenty minutes, and can involve all or several of these symptoms:

• vertigo
• nausea
• imbalance
• confusion
• numbness
• different types of visual disturbances such as partial vision loss, the appearance of special effects and distortion of objects.

During an ocular migraine attack, these visual effects can be quite dramatic, for example, flashing lights, complex color patterns and shapes, and floaters or flying objects appearing in front of the eye, and an ocular or visual migraine can produce various degrees of vision loss or obstruction, and occur just before the headache, leading the migraine sufferer to panic and seek a desperate consultation with an ophthalmologist.

What are the causes of an ophthalmic or eye migraine?

At times, there may occur as a temporary spasm in the blood vessels behind the eye, and this may lead to the development of a contraction or a vasospasm, much like the muscle cramp that you may have experienced at least once, in your legs. Typically, an ocular migraine (also referred to as eye migraine) episode begins with a visual disturbance in the peripheral vision, consisting of a semi-circular, jagged, pale pastel shimmering light, which enlarges and becomes more central. This disturbance usually obscures the vision within the jagged area.

In general, this type of eye migraine resolves itself, without any need for migraine treatment, and in some cases, the sufferer may never have to go through another similar episode in his life. However, for some individuals, ocular migraines may occur frequently, and in such cases, a competent professional must be consulted, in order to rule out any other deep-rooted neurological causes. If it is confirmed that you have indeed suffered an ophthalmic migraine attack, then you can seek treatment, which would reduce the severity of the attack, as well as the frequency. However, concerted treatment is reserved only for those individuals, for whom the ocular migraine interferes with daily life and activities like driving, reading and so on. Most physicians prefer to let the ocular migraine run its course, but they also conduct a thorough examination to find out whether there is another and more serious underlying cause for such a disturbance in vision that an ocular migraine causes. 

A darkened room, plenty of rest and sleep are more often than not all that you may need to deal with the most severe eye migraine. Remember, you may not have to suffer through a migraine after the ocular migraine is over, and if you are lucky, you may be able to continue your regular activities within minutes after the completion of the eye migraine.

As always, before taking any medicines of any kind, we recommend you consult your physician.

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