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.
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.
4 or 5 weeks ago on a Sunday morning, I got up around 7am and started doig chores and engaged in an entire pot of coffee all the while. Around 1 in the afternoon I began to feel very dizzy and lightheaded. Suddenly I began to have what I can only describe as Kaleidoscope colors in an arched fashion above my right eye. The pattern started out as like a singular rainbow of mosaic-type color that continually moved. Soon it was double and then triple rainbow arches inhibiting my vision. Scared the crap out of me and felt I needed to eat something. In between closing my right eye I managed to scramble a couple of eggs, very shakily. I honestly thought I was having a stroke. I managed to eat and eventually (about 30 minutes later) the colors subsided. I had no headache and no history of Migraine so it didn’t even dawn on me that’s what it could be. I went to my PCP the next morning and my Nurse Practitioner said she thought it was a Migraine without the headache. Well, tonight it happened again only I had no warning, no dizziness or loss of balance. I was watching Wheel of Fortune and folding clothes. I was flipping jeans over my head and forward to get the wrinkles out before I folded them. All I could think when it was happening that the aura resembled the Wheel in color and shape only not a full circle. This time I lost my balance after the colors subsided, got scared and took a Xanax to head off the inevitable panic attack. After I “recovered” I Googled “kaleidoscope vision” and it seems there may be a connection to Multiple Sclerosis. Since this is only the 2nd episode in 6 weeks, do I get freaked out and start asking for spinal taps and MRI’s of the brain for the MS diagnosis, or should I roll with it and enjoy the colors for a while? Without any warning I am terrified it may happen when I’m driving and won’t be able to pull over. Has anyone else experienced anything similar? I don’t get the blind spots in the vision line, just the arches of color until they multiply into the sight of vision. Plus, I notice I am spelling words wrong and feel rather dyslexic, but that could be the Xanax. Help!
Karen,
I am a 24 year old law student, and have had the zig-zag lines on-and-off for about 10 or 15 years. Since I occasionally have had headaches, and have had the condition for a good portion of my life, I now know that it is Ophthalmic Migraine. It generally would (and still does) occur every 3 or 4 weeks, and lasts for 30 or 40 minutes. I go somewhat blind, and cannot read or see people’s faces in certain parts of my visual field. Personally I get zig-zag lines but different people are impacted in different ways, some of which include seeing faces in bright colors, and a variety of patterns. Some interesting stories, information, and references can be found at the following website:
http://www.migraine-aura.org/content/index_en.html
While I’ve had ophthalmic migraines for the past 10 or 15 years, I have had a rarer yet somewhat related condition for the past 4 years. Known as Ophthalmic Migraine with Persistent Visual Aura, I have the pleasure of seeing what can only be described as very mild television static across my entire field of vision every day, 24 hours per day. I went to one of the world’s leading Neuro-Ophthalmologists and the best he could do was provide me with a study of 10 people who had the same symptoms, which went away in anywhere from 6 months to 3 years in each of them. Right now, I’m still going, but I hope it goes away soon.
If I were you I would look into MS, or ask your doctor about other symptoms. It sounds like you have Ophthalmic Migraine, though spelling and other senses wouldn’t really be affected unless you were simply pre-occupied by your visual changes and couldn’t concentrate. Like I said though, I am a law student and a neurologist, or neuro-ophthalmologist (in addition to any other doctor really) would know a lot more than I do. HOpe this helps!
-Matt Howard
Oh, and the reason I got to this article and read your comment is because I am having an Ophthalmic Migraine as we speak and was searching online to see if anything new had been researched on the condition. Very few people understand Ophthalmic Migraine, and none of them well enough to develop a cure.
Hello,
I am entering the vision disturbance as I make this comment. I have learned the relaxation way and dark room methods. Yes, after he vision disturbance I experience a headache. Last night I had a stressful time, anxiety and arguments that I feel could have increased the cause. The last time I experienced it was probably 6 months ago.
I get these as well. They are completely free of headache both before, during, and after. Rarely, they are accompanied by numbness or tingling in my hands, but I’ve found at least one source that lists numbness and tingling as associated symptoms. That same source also listed trouble speaking as a symptom, to your concern about having trouble spelling. I’d say go see a neurologist or neuro-ophthalmologist just to be sure it isn’t something else. The eye doctor I went to initially was concerned when I described the lightning-like images across/around my vision that it could be retinal detachment, so ruling that out was a big relief.
I have been having opthalmic migraine for about 3 years. initially I had no idea what was wrong but when I didn’t have another one for over a year I decided that there was no problem. Then I started having them once a month, and the symptoms got a little worse each time. Initially the aura only involved a small part of my side vision and lasted only about 5 minutes. Each time more of my vision is affected and it lasts longer.
I have also started seeing the ‘TV’ static daily. That never goes away. The Aura now involves my entire field of vision, leaving me essentially blind. Light, shadow, color, movement, and sparkling strings of lights, is all I can see and it lasts about an hour. Several times a week. Sometimes several times a day. I was a truck driver with a commercial drivers license. Now, because of this, my drivers license has been revoked, and I can not work. My doctors tell me that there is no cure and no known treatment. I hope everyone else has better luck than I have.
Im glad I found all these comments!..I thought I was going crazy or I got poisend!..This is the secound time this happends to me- in my left eye jagged flashes like a cresent moon vibrating. it freaked me out!I started to pray and drank 3 bottles of water.I was shaky and scred to death!it lasted 7 min then it went away, Tommorow Im getting back to my eating right..and working out!….No more starbucks, and mcdonalds for me, my boyfriend cn go by himself, I dont want this anymore its scary!!!!
I am a 21 year old college student. I have been dealing with ophthalmic migraines for over a year now. Without a doubt these are incredibly debilitating. However I have had some success in treating these. My Dr. prescribed a beta blocker, a blood thinner also used to treat migraines. The beta blockers helped to decrease both the frequency and severity of the migraines. Despite the success I was having I stopped taking the beta blockers because I really hate taking medication, so I have been open to other forms of treatment. I tried acupuncture which did not help. My mom had been seeing a chiropractor for her back and told him about my condition. He told her that he also experiences these and in the past he has had some success treating them. I was skeptical but decided to try since my mom spoke so highly of him. I frequently saw him over my winter break and experienced TREMENDOUS relief. Turns out my neck was more messed up than I ever assumed, likely from years of playing lacrosse. What had happened is that my muscles in the base of my skull and top of the neck had been forced to overcompensate and constricted, effectively “choking” all the nerves which were running through the base of the skull including the ocular nerve. By doing very specific treatment he began to loosen this area, and during my time at home did not experience one episode. Unfortunately because I was only home for a short period of time he couldn’t completely finish treatment. Now back at school I have ruined my neck again and am getting the migraines as severe as ever, and back on the beta blockers. However I can’t wait to graduate and finish treatment and kick this awful condition! Anyways I cannot promise that you will have the same, or any of the success I did, but I think it can be agreed on that anything which will potentially help is worth a try.
I have now experienced three “eye” migraines with no previous history of migraines of any kind. Mine occur when I am working, in all cases under considerable stress. I do not have the painless variety. My light show (it reminds me of the Northern Lights when I was in Alaska years ago) goes on about 30 minutes and is followed by my eyes feeling irritated. Then after a few hours I develop an excruciating headache through the temples and feel tired, slightly dizzy, and a little sick at my stomach. Sleeping it off is the best method for me, but since I work full time, sleeping for two days is not the best solution.
I was interested in Ben’s reply about the neck muscles and the chiropractor. I have a bad disk in my neck and have suffered the pain for years; lately it is getting worse, and now I am wondering if the disk is doing to my nerves what the lacrosse did to yours. . . I can’t go to a chioropractor because I have had back fusion, but perhaps I better have an update on my disk with a neurologist. At least it is a place to begin. Thanks
Hello !! Guess what! I have the same thing ;auras dizzines, lightheaded .I almost crash my car against a store and got so dizzy that after that spell passed i could not talk well.I had for that day problem with the speach. I cannot seeeee! Horrible!!! But nxt week i will go to a NEUROLOGIST and see what he is going to tell me.I went to the ophtalmologist (3) doctors !! and they told me to go and have my carotid test,plaquets,blood, diabetes.. but with my insurance don’t know if will cover all that. But i went to judy duty and got it badlyyy and told the judge and she told me to go home.So because the first doctor told me that i can get a trombosis,,this time i will be there on time ..Anyway good luck to you but i was thinking that i was the only one like that, but i see iam not.I let you know what he will tell me ,,Good luck from Fl. scare and worry ,gladys
I am experiencing the same things. An arched shimmering rainbow of jagged diamonds that radiate to the right. It starts as one strand and then multiplies into more strands moving further into my center field of vision. I experienced one attack about 5 years ago at a nightclub and thought someone had put something in my drink. I saw a vision of a multi-colored roller coaster, and then felt like I was going to throw up and lass out. my friends called the paramedics! lol. Now it’s back again but after researching kaleidoscope vision I found that it is indeed opthalmic migraine. my research suggests that one of the main triggers is MSG which comes in many forms. My first attack happened while drinking beer, (I have since found I have an intolerance to grains) and my last attack an hour ago came after eating Chinese strawberry cake, (loaded with a subsiduary of MSG I just found out.) These attacks are only lasting between 10 and 20 mins thankfully, but I get the nausea with them which sucks. I just lay down in a dark room which helps. My last attack before todays, came after drinking beer, (which I rarely ever drink now) and I hadn’t had much sleep at all that week. I have been taking Phentermine appetite supressants on and off over the years and wonder if this is connected too? If you google opthalmic migraine in Google images you can see some art people have done depicting their visions. One looks like mine but needs more color…my colors are like the ones you see reflected in soap bubbles. Hey.. at least these things aren’t brain tumours! – Christina.
Omg! I’ve been getting these things since I was in 8th grade!!! The very first time I got one i experiened the “tv static” I was in gym class.. and I passed out! I was put through all sorts of test.. and they came to the conclusion that I had “cinco” which the doctor said meant “sometimes when little kids grow up big, they fall down” yea.. didn’t make me feel too good.. So now I’m 23.. I’ve been dealing with the “prism” like spots ever since then.. but i have a few more syptoms.. after the colorful spots that blind me.. my left hand goes numb… after my hand regains feeling my tongue/lips go numb. and then i get the WORST headache ever… i cant function… I cant do anything. I’ve even vomited bc the pain is so unbearable. and twice now once in 2006 and once just last week I cant talk… when i try to speak it sound like a deaf person trying to talk… im my head i know what i want to say.. but it just wont come out.. It is VERY scary!!! and now i’m 9 weeks pregnant. before i would get this headaches about 2 times a year.. and i would just deal with them.. but since feb 19th i have gotten FOUR!! the 3rd one i got had the messed up speech.. and i was at work when i happened…. i hate these things so much!! i wish i could just get the spots with no headache.. those of you who do are very very lucky!! my obgyn just prescriped me something called fioricet.. it’s just supposed to help with headache.. the chiropractor is something im going to have to look into.. but ive never had any back/neck problems… never been in a car accident or anything.. so i dunno what would be the cause… it is nice to hear that other people do have them.. but some of the stories scare me to death.. like the guy who gets the 3-4 a week.. or who gets them more the once a day!!! i dont know how i could handle that… i freak out now every time i get one… i hate them!!!
This message is for Karen Nelson:
You didn’t mention your age. You should take it serious and TIA(Transient Ischemic Attack) should be ruled out and your heart functioning shoud be evaluated with emphasis on your left heart.
I started having the same visual disturbances some three years ago. They progressively got worse as I became tired. I decided to see a cardiologist – I linked some of the problem with my visual disturbances to my heart – I had a mitral valve replacement done 18mnths ago & permanently on Warfrin. My PI is generally between 2.5 & 3.0, when it drops below this, the disturbance is worse! The “aura” gets worse with increased stress levels!
Very interesting about your neck! I have neck problems that started with a rear-end car collision, and it was after that wreck that I had my first ophthalmic migraine. I have long suspected the nerves in my neck because often the onset of the aura comes immediately after turning my head to the side, perhaps too quickly.
My aura starts small, and grows, and finally gets so big that its size has exceeded the size of my field of vision. At this point, a headache comes. The first time I ever had the OM was the worst headache I have ever had, I think because I was focusing on the aura, examining it. The headaches are less severe now that I know to resist trying to look at the aura, and of course when the aura appears that is my signal to eat a bunch of pills.
I am getting these too. I get them 2-3 times a week and sometimes I get them twice a day! I am 34 years old and have gotten migraines all my life. Then, they completely went away for 12 years, until I got pregnant with my first child. Then I started getting them 2-3 times aday, then they went away for a year. Then got pregnant with my daughter and they came back and I got maybe 1-2 a month. Now, I have been getting them 2-3 even 4 times a week and sometimes twice a day. Very frequently lately, and no, I am not pregnant again. I only get the vision loss/problems that everyone is talking about and never the headache. It seems that everyone is saying it is not very serious? My doctor is suppose to be calling me back. I hope it is not anything serious. Heart disease does run in my family, but from what I am reading it is not anything serious, like your doctors are not that concerned???
My case is probably more severe than most have ever heard. In my second episode of the “silent migrane” (two weeks after I was diagnosed) I was on Facebook and noticed that my field of vision was cut in half. Everything I typed was nothing like what my brain was sending to my fingers and everything I typed had no vowels. I had to erase line after incorrect line. I thought my fingers had moved from home base on the keyboard but when I looked down I could no longer remember where that was. From there I began to notice that I was getting a little tongue-tied and thought it could have been a stroke. My kids assured me that I was passing all of the stroke tests they tell you to do like smile, stick out your tongue, lift your arms, etc. A few minutes later my verbal language changed and they could no longer understand me. I was speaking the same language that I was typing. It was very harsh and with no vowels. My right arm began to throb and I had shooting pains that would stop intermittedly. Each time the pain came it shot up my arm to a higher point. At one time I figured that the next shooting pain was going to hit my heart or my brain but because my language had changed I couldn’t tell anyone. My 11 and 12 year old called the ambulance and paramedics said my blood pressure was 250/160. They said I didn’t have a stroke but I was seconds from a full-brain aneursym. They spent days trying to figure out what was the possible stroke and what was the opthlalmic migrane. Last night my sister called because she saw an article showing a correlation between opthlamic migranes and strokes in young women (I’m 46) and how strokes are more prevalent in women who have these types of migranes. I’m digging up every article I can find on this subject because I’m taking it to my Internist and my neurologist.
I just started having something like this. The 1st time was on 01-Apr. My eyes started with bright zig-zaggy lines seen in my peripheral vision. Over the next few minutes it progressed to distortion when looking at the computer screen and at the television. I thought I was having a brain aneurysm, so I went to the emergency room. They did a brain scan and all came back OK. All of the visual distortions went away suddenly in about 12-14 minutes after they started. On 12-Apr-2009, I started again with bright zig-zaggy lines in my peripheral vision with some distortion when trying looking at the computer, not as bad as 01-Apr though. Distortions lasted 17 minutes. Both incidents were followed by headache. I’ve had headaches for past 4 months and sometimes my eyes hurt along with my headache. I’ll see what the opthamologist says on 14-Apr. I did get Flora… something for migraines, seemed to help.
Hi this is my first time here .. I been getting this rainbow type colors almost for 4 days straight now n then I get a headache I’m so scareed don’t kno ehat to do. I see colors then boom a headache..hurts like hell plz help me..I hope it isn’t nething bad.
Hello all… Bill mentioned that you saw these images when you looked at your computer. Like you, this is when I see them. I thought it was due to an old monitor at work but I just got them on my laptop which is several years old. I have had about 3-4 episodes and did get a terrible headache that came on the next day. I am also in my mid forties and wonder if any of you have found out more about potentially related conditions such as MS, stroke, neck injury etc.
Karen and all … check out a 2006 study http://www.theheart.org/article/724569.do that suggested ophthalmic migraines (or Migraines with Aura (MA)) are an indicator of cardiovascular disease. Personally, I used to experience occassional MA, but after a DVT I was on Warfarin for a year and had NO symptoms. Since finishing my treatment the incidences have come back, sometimes 3 or 4 times a day. The article I noted also suggested a possible link between Ischemic strokes and MA as the symptoms are similar. Since Ischemic strokes are caused by a restriction of blood to the brain, my suspician is that thicker blood doesn’t flow as easily through potentially restricted blood vessels, resulting in MA. This of course is not based on anything scientific and I plan to visit my doctor next week for a referral to a cardiologist to investigate further.
I first experience opthalmic migraine approximately 15 years ago–went to all the doctors, changed teaching jobs, etc. I periodically get the jagged edges; I just lie down and put on dark glasses. My is usually caused from stress although I had one today and don’t consciously feel stressed. Many people have this condition.
I’m so relieved to find that this OM’s are a common problem. I have been experiencing them now, on and off, for about 10 years. Lately they have increased in frequency, and tend to be triggered with changes in weather when I am having sinus blockage problems. It starts out with a vague blind spot that I can’t really focus on, and then shows up as a small shimmery spot. It expands to a shimmery jagged-edged crescent of light and keeps expanding and moving out of my field of vision – normally lasts about 30 min. It freaks people out when I tell them about it – they say I should go to a doctor – but I have and I’ve also had brain scans and nothing is wrong. I just have yet to really pinpoint all the triggers for it. It was interesting that the connection with heart disease was mentioned above, because heart disease runs in my family and I’ve been trying to take care of myself alot better lately. I’ll have to look into that.
What you discribed about the zigzags lines I have them too. I like to add floating electric or static flash. My zigzags have no color (white like this background) and blue. I noticed it today when my right bottom corner of my vision became a “white” hole and some blue+white zigzags. My co-workers faces were partially missing. It was really annoying, then I got a headache that started at the back of my head and moved towards my temples and finally ending with pressure on the back of my eyeballs. I took a tylenol gel cap and now I’m ok. zigzags are gone, headache still lingers.
Iam back ,I did go to all the dr’s ,they check blood all test out there!Even my brain.I don’t think that even dr’s know what to do.But one thing for sure i know when i have a lot to do and get stress i get them more often .Talking about the lights,aura that cover the eyes untill i can’t see.They told me that i have ofthalmic migrane so now, what they did? Nothing! And before i get them iam ready and aware and careful not to drive.But i try to breath deeply and try to relax.This week got them very bad at work but i stop went out the back door and started jumping and running around the parking lot, breath deep and waited 15 minutes and they were gone but ,walked strange after that.I am ready and aware that probably i will die in any moment from that.Other thing i did i had a glass of wine waited 10 minutes and my vision was back.Anyway one thing is that i try to control my self and now iam on vacation eating 3 times a day and resting, cancel my trip,watch tv.and don’t think much about any thing.Will see good luck to every one !! Remember :RELAX,EAT GOOD,BREATH DEEPLY so this don’t last so long.
I was diagnosed with an Atrial Septal Defect (the wall between the 2 upper chambers of my heart was not closed). This may have been the cause of my opthalmic migraines because it causes blood clots to travel up to you brain that would normally get filtered through the lungs. This is similiar to a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), which is when the hole in this wall doesn’t close after birth. After an easy closure procedure done in January, I haven’t had any migraines until this week. I recently came off Plavix (a blood thinner which they put you on for 3 months after the procedure). The nurse at the cardiologist’s office says when you stop a blood thinner sometimes you get temporary neurological symptoms. I hope it’s temporary!
Anyway, just thought this might be helpful to some of you out there!
I have been experiencing this off and on for a couple of years. I never have pain with it, just a slight lightheadness. Mine is usually in my right eye, and is a very bright halo of ziggy white lines that gets progressivly larger, although my field of vision is never severly impaired. Just today I had another episode, the first in several weeks, although it was in my left eye this time, incredibly bright and large zigzag lines. It lasted approx 10 minutes and is now gone. No headache at all, just some mild dizziness and feeling like my eyes are very tired. Lying down in a dark room doesnt seem to make any difference with mine, just makes the lines seems brighter…
Today, I was working on my computer, and I started seeing sparkly static in my field of vision and just assumed I was tired and on the computer too many hours. I rubbed my eyes, got off the computer and went to the family room to relax, have some water, and watch some tv. I started getting anxious when the sparkly static slowly intensified over the next 10 or 15 minutes, to the point where I could not recognized what was happening on the show I was watching.
It felt like I was looking through an electric snowstorm, or broken, frosted glass. Iam 45 years old, and this was my first time anything like this happened to me. I was pretty scared. I thought, am I having a stroke? Am I going to lose my eyesight?
I did what I usually do when I need some info on something I have never experienced. I went to the web for answers. I tried my hardest to focus on the letters on the keyboard, even getting like 2 inches from it to see. I couldn’t!! My heart was racing pretty good.
I tried to relax and had some more water, and in about another 40 to 50 minutes, my vision was mostly back to normal, and totally back shortly after that.
Then when I went back on the web, I saw that caffeine was a major cause of these vascular spasms that caused ophthalmic migraines, and the associated vision problems. Then I remembered that I had drank several cups of coffee and 2 diet cokes earlier, and also had been drinking more coffee than usual in the past 10 days or so. I was a huge relief! Time to back off the caffeine.
Also, reading these comments helped me a lot. Thanks.
I have talked to several people now that have experienced the total white out as you and I have. Everyone that took caffeine out of there diet has had a significant decrease or total absence of having any more. Hope this helps.
Joe
I have had ophthalmic migraines for quite a few years (probably close to 30). I started also getting a “floating” numbness moving around mu body about 4 years ago. This was very unsettling, having a 6 inch area move up the thigh, into the abdomen, across the chest and into the face. I saw the nurse at work during one occasion, at which time my tounge was numb and I couldn’t talk. I got very confused. I was rushed to the ER thinking I was stroking. By the time I was seen by a doctor, I was back to normal. They did tests for stroke (normal) and kept me overnight. I was then seen by a neurologist, and put on low dose Topomax. I had been getting these symptoms on a more frequent basis, but the Topomax put a stop to it. Insurance became an issue (would no longer pay) so I was changed to Nortriptyline and have been there for 2 years. Now , all of a sudden, I have has the ophthalmic migraines return, twice in the last 3 weeks. O hope the other “Silent Migraine” symptoms do not return.
Anyone else have this numbness before? I can deal with the vision, but the numbness can be quite unsettling.
I have had “classic” ophthalmic migraines, no headaches, no triggers, zigzag flashing lights lasting < 30 minutes since 1971. Unpredictable, sometimes several a day switching eyes, wake up during the night half way through one, clusters: daily, weekly, monthly, once a year, and have even gone several years without any occurrences. Most ophthalmologists and all neuro-ophthalmologists know exactly what this is (can show you their textbooks) so don’t waste time and money seeing other specialists. These are annoying but they won’t kill you.
I also find it very difficult to believe a chiropractor can “fix or cure” vaso-spasms, spasms of blood vessels, behind the eyes deep in the brain by manipulating neck muscles, but hey, placebos work for a lot of people. They’ll be curing vaso-spasms of the coronary arteries (heart attacks) next with manipulations of the chest muscles.
Im 57 now, but for about 22 years, I had horrendous migraine headaches. A couple years ago, I stopped getting the debilitating headaches, and thought I was home free, becuase my doctor told me I would eventually stop getting them when my hormones changed. I, infact, had an opthalmic migraine today, and now hours later my head is still “heavy” feeling, but nothing like the pain I used to get. When I first notice this “prism” flashing in my left eye, I QUICK take 3 ibuprophen, and strong coffee, and it subsides within about 20 minutes…it works. The very first time I had one, I seriously thought I was having a stroke, and was searching this site to find out if eventually that’s what might happen, because of these things….Good luck to you..so far it’s bearable.
I’m a 52 year old male.
I’ve had about 6 events in the last year that I’m trying to find out if it could be an Ophthalmic migraine.
It always happen in the very early morning between wake & sleep.
I get a very bright image of what looks like an iris and pupil in my right eye.
It does seem to wake me up.
If I cover my left eye I cannot see through the right eye.
There is no pain sensation.
It always goes away within a minute, and vision returns.
Any idea if this would qualify as an Ophthalmic migraine?
I’m a 37 y/o male. I used to get horrible migraines in my late teens and early twenties. These were most definitely stress related, either from a stressful job or relationship. These started as very bright white flashes in my vision that lasted 30 minutes or so and ended with excruciatingly painful headaches that would last for days. The only thing I could do to alleviate it was to pop some pain pills when the flashing started and lay down in a dark room and try to sleep. If I was able to sleep, I could abort the headache.
I got out of stressful jobs and found a mellow woman to marry. I hadn’t had a migraine in 10 years or so.
In the last couple years, I experience a television static in my vision all the time. I have learned to live with it. I have had my vision tested, with my glasses I have better than 20/20 they tell me, but it seems to me that I can’t focus on things due to the static effect.
As of the last few months, I’ve been having episodes of extreme light sensitivity that makes my eyes tear up. This lasts around 30 minutes. After I was not having headaches.
Yesterday I had the light sensitivity, but now with clearly defined “auras” in my field of vision. They are curvy rollercoaster lines with lots of prisms. I couldn’t focus on anything, but could see clearly out of my peripheral vision. The auras morphed and grew over the next 45 minutes or so. After the episode subsided, I was left with a headache. It was a pretty good headache, mind you not excruciating like the migraines from my early twenties. My wife made an appointment with the Dr.
He was thinking Lymes, MS, mini-strokes, migraines. He’s going to do the bloodwork and let me know, but he is fairly certain of OM.
I have recently stopped drinking soda pop, but have supplemented the caffeine loss with extra coffee in the afternoon. I really have very little stress. My kids are the only form of stress I have. I work from home doing what I like. My wife is happy and successful. We don’t really have any financial worries and very little debt.
Oh yeah. The last time I went to the eye doctor he says that on a scale of 1 – 10, I’m a 5 or 6 for glaucoma.
Many of your experiences sounds very similar to mine. I started getting these ‘aura’ migraines when I was a teenager; albeit, they were few and far between. They started increasing in both frequency and severity about 3 years ago (I am now 36) to the point where I was experiencing them every day, like clock-work. I came across several sites that suggested Splenda (Sucralose) as a trigger. I immediately stopped ingesting any sucralose or other sugar substitutes and was migraine free for 9 months. I have recently started getting them again (3 over the last 3 months) but have been abnormally ‘stressed out’ so I am attributing my latest experiences to that. I know how scary and frustrating they can be. Try eliminating any sugar substitutes from your diet. You never know, it’s worth a shot. Until more research is done and more is learned about these horrible migraines, we can only try to eliminate potential triggers which can be identified through shared stories. Keep sharing the experiences.
I have only started getting these in the last 3 or 4 years. I get funny kaliedoscopes in the right hand field of my vision and I know I have to get home and lie down. I usually get a bit of nausea and a headache that is not terribly severe but I just feel wiped out for days afterwards. Last time I went to see my chiropractor and within an hour my haziness had lifted. Now I go see him whenever I get one and it usually helps.
I’m only 33 and normally very healthy so mine is probably due to the constriction of the blood vessels going up to my brain. I’m a big fan of chiropractic as a first point of call because he’s non-invasive and has no side-effects! (He does, however, cost a bomb)
I just wanted to be sure I shouldn’t be alarmed. Last night I was watching tv, had just finished eating some cottage cheese & yogurt, my favorite desert mix… and I realized the jagged rainbow was creeping into the left side of my left eye… then it got worse, both eyes affected but worse in the left, fragmented and moving jagged curves of light.
This is the second time for me, I got nervous last night, thought stroke too, so laid down in the dark bdrm and relaxed, it finally went away but even with eyes closed had the flashing, jagged lights… no headache though, just ringing in my ears.
The first time this happened, a couple weeks ago, I was riding my motorcycle, had stopped for a cold bottle of starbucks coffee, then headed back on my way. It was really hot out. I thought I had something on my sunglasses, so stopped to clean them, then discovered the impairment was actually my vision not the glasses. Kind of scared me then too, since I was about 50 miles away from home on the bike. It went away within about 20 minutes of starting.
I am glad to know this probably isn’t life threatening and am now going to try to forget about it. I hate to own any physical ailment or dis-ease, I prefer to own good health, so I am not going to call it ‘my’ OM.
Thanks for all the input… best wishes to all.
I was a truck driver. When my employer found out I was having OM they immediately fired me and notified DPS. My drivers license has been revoked. I live in the country so there is no public transportation. I can’t move, even if I could sell my home, because I have been unemployed for 7 months. No one will rent to me. And I am broke anyway. Except for the charity of friends I would now be homeless. I am experiencing the TV static daily and the OM almost everyday. It will wake me up at night because of the light show. I can’t take the medications that they prescribe for OM. Beta Blockers and anti-depressents, because of what they do to me. I hope everyone else has better luck than I have had.
I have had this for 3 days now a light in my eye. I have had this before but it would go away after an HR. I had my eyes looked at by my eye DR.and she could find nothing wrong had a C.A.T. SCAN done and again it showed nothing wrong so it’s not true it only last an HR.So just to let you know if you do get this it my be there for days.
Hi, My husband always says don’t look at web sites when something like this happens but this site has reassured me. Yesterday I was driving on a 4 lane freeway to work in peak hour traffic and thought something was on my windscreen distorting my vision. I put the wipers on and then realised it was my vision. It became suddenly like I was looking through a black, white and grey kaleidescope. I followed the traffic through a tunnel and with crazy vision pulled over in the emergency lane. I thought I was having an anneurism or my retina was detatching. I rang my husband and he came and picked me up. We went to 3 doctors and none could see me. I was going to go to the emegency dept. but the eyesight improved after 30mins. I rang my daughter who suffers migraines and she warned me to take strong pain killers to ward off headache. I went to my optometrist and she ran many tests. She ruled out any eye damage and recommended the docs for blood tests/ scan and ultrasound. I’m having these done this week. The pain killers kicked in and I had a dull headache so it probably would have been worse if I hadn’t taken tablets. Slept for hours but had nagging slight dull headache all day today. Feel worn out. I had overdone exercise on the day before episode so wondered if that triggered it. Pretty stressed at work too. I hope it doesn’t happen again. But couldn’t take freeway today as too scared!!
I’ve had opthalmic migraines for years. I never have a headache and my vision is not impared. There is however, a slight feeling of dissociation at times but it does not interfere with my activity during the aura. It only happened once when I was driving my vehicle and it did not interfere with my ability to drive.
The auras are very unpredictable but I have associated them with possible dehydration, a night of poor sleep, or minor muscle spasms elsewhere in my body — these are not simultaneous with the aura which usually shows up out of the blue. The aura consists of a broken circle of flashing jagged colored lights which starts as a small dot, usually with the right eye and progresses to a large broken circle which moves to the periphery and then out of my vision in about 15 minutes or less. I’ve mentioned it to my doctor and there doesn’t seem to be much concern. After the initial fear when the first one happened many years ago, now I just lay back if I can and enjoy the show. I feel they are associated with physical or mental stress. I had one just before writing this and noted that I had some minor muscle tension last night and did not sleep all that well. I know the cause of the muscle tension from yesterday so was not surprised. I have found gentle yoga stretching very helpful.
Sometimes months or years pass between auras. Sometimes I may experience seveal in a week but never more than one per day.
At this point I am exploring the effect of regular stretching and relaxation on the auras and feel they may be part of a pattern of muscle tension elsewhere in my body and perhaps associated with referred tension from sciatica (right side) or from using the computer mouse (right handed).
I hope these comments are useful to someone who is worried about the auras. I have not noticed any long term effects and as a matter of fact, my eyes have gotten better with age. Originally near-sighted, I have almost 20/20 vision at age 68.
Hi,
I am Murali. I will turn 51 this May. The last time wrote was on January 14, 2009 at 12:31 am. For a long time since I did not experience it. Right now as I am writing this note its happening. My feeling is a procket wheel type of flash starting like a small spark and then growing larger. The visual sensation is still persistant, it marginally disturbs work. I had the sensation first appearing on my left vision and now its happening to my right vision. The feeling in the head after this I guess will be the usual heaviness and lingering ache. In all earlier instances, I felt very disturbed and disgusted. The more I read and talk about it I am able to gain control over the Ophthalmic Migraine. Just to let friends know last evening was a minor celebration and I chose a couple of beer after a long layoff from any for of alchol(not that I am addicted, just a mild social participant or business meetings). I am a non smoker now and pretty watchful on my diet. I used to exercise regularly, say do a 6 KM walk and jog every day. Post an accident that left three of my ribs fractured, I have been adwised to put of any such exercises for 3 months. But it is clear that when you shift good routine and put stress on yourself these Ophthalmic Migraines recur more often.
Just thought I would interject my experience for all those trying to understand what they’re experiencing. I had my first opthalmic migraine about 3 yrs ago. It happened right after I finished a strenuous workout at the gym. I lost my paripheal vision and saw black and white heat waves at the top of my right eye. It lasted very briefly, but afterwards the symptoms I had scared me worse than the vision issues. As I sat in the waiting room I tried to read a magazine and I just couldn’t read any words. It took me at least ten seconds to sound out the word ‘because.’ I was 20 by the way. Then when I went into the doctors office I couldn’t comprehend anything she said to me. I just kept my head down and said yes, yes, ok. I couldn’t understand what she was saying or what was happening to me. You really feel like a shell of a person. And then when I was trying to tell my bf what happened I couldn’t even think of the correct words. My vocabulary became like ten words and finding adjectives was imnpossible. All lasted about thirty minutes. Very scarey and I dread the day it may happen again! Good luck all.
Hi,
Just to reassure you, it was my first reaction some time in 1988. I was help my Director FInance with the company’s Annual results and my support became a hinderance when the numbers became haywire. The bouts hit me more often than expected and had to compell myself to rest at home. Gradually, I started feeling and gaining a heads up on this “dreadful” intrusion to your normal work or life. Today, as stated in my previous post dated April 22, 2010 at 4:20 am, got myself to stay fit and refrain from deviations. It helps.
I just experienced one of these for the first time at work 1/2 hour ago. It lasted about an hour and freaked me out. It was wavy flashing zig zag lines black and white in the peripheral vision in a crescent shape in both eyes moving slowly up an down. I sat down and thought what I did differently today.
Two things: added two additional shots to my starbucks drink. Then just finished a large cup of iced green tea. I figure caffeine is the culprit. Also I suffer from sinusitus, and today have cold symtoms (may have caught it from a coworker who was sick yesterday).