Understanding and Treating Ophthalmic Migraine
by Anna Hart
Filed under Causes of Migraine Headaches
Say the word “migraine” and most people think of a headache. Those who have suffered from migraine think of excruciating pain in the head. They think of hours or even days of throbbing pain. This does not describe ophthalmic migraine, however.
Definition of Ophthalmic Migraine
Ophthalmic migraine involves the eyes, but does not include headaches. Like other migraines, this is due to a spasm of blood vessels in the brain. These spasms usually cause severe headache, but not with ophthalmic migraine. Ophthalmic migraine is characterized by visual disturbances. The migraineur may see flashes of light that look like jagged lines or “heat waves” rising from a hot road or vehicle. These disturbances may be in one or both eyes, often lasting 10-30 minutes, but without a headache. Ophthalmic migraine is sometimes called migraine without headache. It is commonly misspelled “ophthalmic migrain” or “ophthalmic migrane”.
Frequency of Ophthalmic Migraine
Ophthalmic migraine is quite common, though frightening to the person who has never before experienced it. It is usually not serious, and will go away within the hour. In rare cases, symptoms continue to recur on a regular basis, interfering with one’s quality of life and requiring treatment.
Make sure you get professional medical advice as soon as possible. Knowledge is power, and will help you manage whatever it might be. It could also mean that you need to change certain habits in your life, or update things with your medical or life insurance provider. Many people suffer from migraines yet are able to comfortably control it with the right treatment.
Causes of Ophthalmic Migraine
As with more well-known migraine, ophthalmic migraine can have many triggers. The cause behind the triggers is a temporary spasm in the blood vessels behind the eye. Called “vasospasm”, these are similar to a Charlie Horse, i.e., a cramp in a leg muscle.
The onset of ophthalmic migraine may be traced to one or more triggers. A few of many possibilities are:
* chemicals such as MSG in food
* caffeine
* prescription medications
* hormonal changes
* alcohol
* stress
* sleep loss
* weather changes
Treatment of Ophthalmic Migraine
Symptoms usually go away by themselves after several minutes, or at least within one hour. Often, rest in a darkened room can be the best treatment during an attack. You will not want to drive or operate machinery, since vision is affected. Medical treatment is usually not necessary, and many people never suffer a second attack.
If you have recurring ophthalmic migraine, treatment is available with prescription medication. This will decrease both the frequency and severity of attacks. As with any prescription medication, there are side effects.
If you experience more than one ophthalmic migraine, you should see your health care provider for advice. He or she will want to rule out serious underlying causes.
I was outside wiping down my truck when I started to see a flashing lights in my left eye not sure what to think , I thought it was just the light you see when you look at a light bulb to long. Didn’t give it much thought so I continue on but it got worst.When I went inside I sat down in my chair I had these weird feelings still not sure what was going on , because I had been in the hospital for a fib Nov.2010 I thought it might be that i was going into it again but then something else happen I started to see another flashing light out of the left side of my eye it was like a strobe light blinking it got really scary for me I told my husband I don’t feel well I’m going to laid down. Well, it got worst my heart rate went high then I couldn’t breath my hands arms face were going numb I told my husband to take me to hospital they did ct scan x-ray my chest took blood gave me medicine for nausea oxygen I left the hospital with no answer of what was wrong the ER DR. told me to contact my carid or PCP well she didn’t know either so she sent me to the Eye Surgeons well he told me you have classic / ophthalmic migraine. I’m thinking WOW ER TO THE PCP TO EYE SURGEON LIKE NONE of THE PEOPLE YOU THINK SHOULD KNOW SOMETHING DON’T KNOW A DANG THING ABOUT EYES EXCEPT THE EYE SURGEON. But now that I know the fear is greater more than ever never knowing when or where it will happen again I have a 15th yr old that needs me and my husband too. But just like all the people here I am glad to know I’m not crazy……
just recently i have started having my halos again. i am a 61 year old male and have been “ophthalimic migraine” free for years 5+ but now they are coming back. i rarely get a headache(small), but i do get the halo…..like ice crystals pulsating. either one eye or the other, rarely both and last about a half hour or less and feel weak on my left side. that’s it. why are they coming back is my only question?
My daughter has them…”visual migraines” are what her doctor called them, the things that trigger them vary…no point in even mentioning what the triggers are as it can be from anything and everything, got her eye perscription/glasses checked – not the problem,MRI showed nothing-so not the problem, her father nor i get them-not the problem..she just gets them period. they dont kill you, you dont have a tumor, your not going to die..but sometimes want to…i feel for everyone out there sufering from these as my poor poor daughter has them 3 times a week at times!Shes takes a perscription for them called Maxalt and the pharmacist said when he gave it to us “uhh…this will work…but i would rather see her drink coca cola at the first on set of the migraine. She refuses to drink soda or any caffiene for that matter…ugh. Sometimes but rarely when she was so desperate she drank a coke and sure enough..the pain was GONE. Moral of the story , CAFFIENE GUYS and a lot of it!!! Either al day everyday or right when u feel that dizzy thing and see the visual stuff start to happen swing down a coke. Not a sip…the entire can asap.
I suffered from extreme migraines when i was a child i used to get them approx 2-3 times a year pulsating lines/stars in my eyes then the worst headache i could imagine and severe vomiting it was scary, the most horrible thing i used to experience i was scared when i saw the light first appear at the side of my eye and i would have after effects of the headache for a couple of days. I thought i had grown out of them as i didn’t have one for probably approx 10 years. Now i manage to deal with them as they are not as extreme as i do not tend to get the pain or the sickness just the scary eye distortion. When i get them now i seem to have a few within the space of a month or so then they seem to disappear for a few years again. But they are not a very nice experience at all.
I started getting these visual headaches about three years ago…they started with a little speck in my line of vision in both eyes and stated getting bigger it was like looking through wet swirling glass. It would eventually get larger and larger then vanish.I started to track everything time, diet, meds everything then i had an allergy test found out i was allergic to dairy… one morning i made the mistake of having a whey protein shake and bingo 3 hours later i had the ophthalmic migraine which i realized was the trigger for me…if you get these track your food!!! good luck
I suffered an ophthalmic migraine early last year and had no idea what it really was, so this article has been very helpful. So far the migraine hasn’t come back and I really hope it doesn’t, the only issue is that I don’t know what may have triggered it, but I don’t really feel like experimenting to find out.
I have had this bad vision for seven months now,and doctor said it’s ophtalmic migraine.Trouble is that bad vision is there all day and dosen’t go away until i go to bed in the evening.First set of pills had a very bad side effects (imigran),new set is ok,bud makes no diference.I had my eyes tested,MRI done-all clear.I’ve been told not to drink coke and to be careful with chocolate.I love coke,I drink about 1/2 a can of diet coke a day.Is it too much?? Or not enough?? I feel that coke is actually making it a bit better as i don’t drink tea or cofee at all
Renata that sounds horrible! I have a friend who underwent cataract surgery and ever since she has experienced serious headaches behind the eyes since. Do you work at a desk looking at a pc screen all day? I know that that is when my sight was at its worse and that I would get light flashes in my vision.