what is an optical migraine?

[strollingbones]

2. What is an optical migraine?

As opposed to a real migraine, an optical migraine also involves an aura that comes before a migraine attack, but there is the absence of pain. This is rarer than the migraine that comes with severe pain. It is also know as acephalgic migraine or visual or ocular migraine. It is a migraine aura unaccompanied by headache.

The visual disturbances that are experienced are flashing lights that look like zigzag or "fortress-like" lights. These auras usually begin as small visual marches crossing the field of vision that slowly fades away. Attacks like these last for several minutes to almost an hour.

If it will come with a headache, the pain will follow in an hour. An optical migraine can also be experienced as a blind spot in the field of vision.

3. How sure am I that I am experiencing an optical migraine?

Migraines are usually diagnosed if the same symptoms are experiences over and over in many years. It is optical migraine if the same aura is experienced. In case there is a change in the visual pattern, it might be something more serious. A doctor should be consulted in this case.

4. What could be the cause of these migraines?

The cause for migraine is not yet confirmed, it has remained unknown. However, there have been theories that these headaches are caused by allergies, temporary edema of the brain and even endocrine disturbances. One thing is for sure, it is due to disturbance in the blood circulation in the brain. It has been proven that the pain is associated with the narrowing of blood vessels in the brain followed by dilation.

5. What could be more serious causes of headaches if they are not migraines?

Not all headaches are migraines and not all visual disturbances are caused by migraines. There could be more serious causes that may force you to consult a doctor. Visual changes can also be caused by partial seizures, a retina in the eye could have been detached, a "mini-stroke" or a transient ischemic attack, multiple sclerosis or even a brain tumor.

6. Who is more likely to get an optical migraine?

Optical migraines are usually experienced by more women than men at a ratio of 3:1. This is an illness that is usually inherited.

7 Things You Should Know About Optical Migraines

this is a rare migraine and scares one when it happens. i have them and my son has inherited them from me. mine occur as arches of light developing in my eye....the arches will progress until they fill the entire range of vision rendering one blind for as long as it lasts. when one starts you have a few minutes to try to get somewhere....and lay down in a dark room. the arches do not stop when you close your eyes...

the irony is ....its nearly the same as a detacted retina's symptoms. so you need to have it check if when it begins.

 

[MaggieMae]

Headaches are a mystery. I've had on and off neck pain (I know, know) at the tip of my spine for years which was first diagnosed as arthritis, then a certain "type" of migrane (because when I get them, they are completely debilitating), a possible bone spur (following an x-ray), then the usual shrug--who knows? deal with it.

I will sometimes get a sensation (not a pain) like a tingling in a small spot just above my left eye and barely at the hairline above my forehead. It's annoying as hell and NOTHING gets rid of it except time. No doc knows that that's all about either.

I've just come to chock up head anomalies as unsolvable because scientists still know so very little about the functions of the brain. It's, well, mind-boggling!

 

[syrenn]

I get the optical migraines. Once the lights are gone the pain comes.

The light starts a small spot far out in my vision. Then it moves closer on one side or the other. It gets bigger as it comes closer. Anything behind the light i cannot see. For instance i can move my hands behind the light and i cant see my hands anymore. So if you are doing anything you need to see your out of luck. For the most part you are basically blind

The lights look like the sun just before sunset shimmering on water. It sparkles and moves. That part makes me a bit nauseous.

And truthfully i am sick of getting all the rare stuff!

 

[waltky]

Landmark discovery in restoring sight to the blind...

Scientists make eye's retina from stem cells
6 April 2011 - A part of the eye that is essential for vision has been created in the laboratory from animal stem cells, offering hope to the blind and partially sighted.

One day it might be possible to make an eye in a dish, Nature journal reports. The Japanese team used mouse stem cells - immature cells that have the ability to turn into many types of body tissue. With the right mix of nutrients, the cells changed and began to grow to make a synthetic retina.

Ultimately, scientists hope they can use this approach to make endless supplies of retinal cells or indeed whole retinas that can be transplanted into patients with visual impairment. Eventually, it may even be possible to create a whole eye. A US biotech company has already been granted a license to begin human trials of a stem cell treatment for blindness.

'Landmark discovery'

The retina is the name given to a diverse group of cells that line the inside of the back of eye. Rays of light enter the eye and are focused onto the retina which produces a picture that is then is sent along the optic nerve for the brain to interpret. The eye and the brain together produce the images that we see.

Retinal diseases can cause severe vision loss or blindness if left untreated. Retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are the most common causes of blindness in old age, and involve the gradual and normally irreversible destruction of retinal cells.

More BBC News - Scientists make eye's retina from stem cells

 

[Phoenix]

I've had them too - but they seem to be different for every person.

Mine were brought on by tension/stress, it seems. In the beginning, always on the left side (which was always the side that I experienced acute facial pain as well) but over the past couple years, they've gone to the right side. My neurologist says that's normal.

My version was a pulsing, undulating aura in my peripheral vision. Scared me when it first happened - went in and had the whole eye test thing done. My eyes are great and this isn't as uncommon as one might think. Great.

There wasn't pain with my optical migraines either. Just "regular" migraines. Yipee!

 

[waltky]

Isn't Avastin also used for diabetes?...

Cheaper eye disease drug as good as pricier one
4/28/2011 - Patients with wet macular degeneration given monthly shots of Avastin show improvement

A new study shows that a cheaper drug for a common eye disease is as effective as a more expensive one approved for the condition. The study found that vision improvement was the same among patients given monthly shots of Avastin or Lucentis for one year. The patients have an eye disease called wet macular degeneration — a common cause of blindness in the elderly.

Avastin is a cancer drug that many doctors have used to treat the eye disorder even though it wasn't approved for that use. It costs about $50 per treatment compared to $2,000 for Lucentis. Both drugs are sold by Roche's Genentech unit. Results were published online Thursday by the New England Journal of Medicine and will be presented at a meeting on Sunday.

Cheaper eye disease drug as good as pricier one - Health - Aging - msnbc.com

 

[catbaloo]

My mom gets the optical migraines, but she doesn't have any pain. I get the regular migraines, all pain with no optical stuff. Man did I get the short end of the stick!!!

 

[Grace]

I have had those as well. Twice in my lifetime. No pain, just a weird squiggly light show.

 

[strollingbones]

now i have had the pain ones..damn they suck....just like something is exploding inside your head...last one i had with pain was years ago.....it was sudden and i was kicking the wall....screaming....good times.....now here is what kinda freaks me out....since all this stuff with my mother has been happening....high stress...court drama...etc...i didnt have a single migraine...go figure

 

[Mikewell]

My mom gets the optical migraines, but she doesn't have any pain. I get the regular migraines, all pain with no optical stuff. Man did I get the short end of the stick!!!

I get similar symptoms when it seems like the most important part of my vision is blocked out by some strange blur or shiny or darkened lines and I can ever see straight. And that is a big warning that a head splitting migrane is to come. It's probably not your eye but one of the symptoms of migrane which is seeing auras.

 

[Sarah G]

I get them after some illness that causes a fever. The first time it happened I thought it was a detached retina also. I just stay in the area I'm in when it started until it goes away, I've never had it happen while driving but that would be scarey.

I don't get pain after, in fact, I rarely get any headaches. I've had a couple recently with sinus problems which made me wonder about what is going around lately.

Informative thread.

 

[editec]

2. What is an optical migraine?

As opposed to a real migraine, an optical migraine also involves an aura that comes before a migraine attack, but there is the absence of pain. This is rarer than the migraine that comes with severe pain. It is also know as acephalgic migraine or visual or ocular migraine. It is a migraine aura unaccompanied by headache.

The visual disturbances that are experienced are flashing lights that look like zigzag or "fortress-like" lights. These auras usually begin as small visual marches crossing the field of vision that slowly fades away. Attacks like these last for several minutes to almost an hour.

If it will come with a headache, the pain will follow in an hour. An optical migraine can also be experienced as a blind spot in the field of vision.

3. How sure am I that I am experiencing an optical migraine?

Migraines are usually diagnosed if the same symptoms are experiences over and over in many years. It is optical migraine if the same aura is experienced. In case there is a change in the visual pattern, it might be something more serious. A doctor should be consulted in this case.

4. What could be the cause of these migraines?

The cause for migraine is not yet confirmed, it has remained unknown. However, there have been theories that these headaches are caused by allergies, temporary edema of the brain and even endocrine disturbances. One thing is for sure, it is due to disturbance in the blood circulation in the brain. It has been proven that the pain is associated with the narrowing of blood vessels in the brain followed by dilation.

5. What could be more serious causes of headaches if they are not migraines?

Not all headaches are migraines and not all visual disturbances are caused by migraines. There could be more serious causes that may force you to consult a doctor. Visual changes can also be caused by partial seizures, a retina in the eye could have been detached, a "mini-stroke" or a transient ischemic attack, multiple sclerosis or even a brain tumor.

6. Who is more likely to get an optical migraine?

Optical migraines are usually experienced by more women than men at a ratio of 3:1. This is an illness that is usually inherited.

7 Things You Should Know About Optical Migraines

this is a rare migraine and scares one when it happens. i have them and my son has inherited them from me. mine occur as arches of light developing in my eye....the arches will progress until they fill the entire range of vision rendering one blind for as long as it lasts. when one starts you have a few minutes to try to get somewhere....and lay down in a dark room. the arches do not stop when you close your eyes...

the irony is ....its nearly the same as a detacted retina's symptoms. so you need to have it check if when it begins.

Of late I'm getting these events about twice a week.

IF when the aura's first manifest in my line of site (although they're most often on the paripheri of my vision, I immediately close my eyes for an hour or so, then I do not get a headsplitting headache.

Then, all I have is a dull pain for the rest of the day assuming I don't strain my eyes (read do my normal routine) that day

If I fight it, and continue using my eyes for any length of time once those aura's appear, I pay for it rather quickly as the pain that follows the auras is truly headsplitting. So painful in fact that it makes me nauseous.

These headaches and auras seem to come and go.

I've gone years without having one, and then I go though periods where they happen quite frequently.

They started when I was about 14.

I SUSPECT it has to do with photosensitivity of some kind. I do a lot of squinting when I'm in natural light and almost always wear sunglasses except on cloundy days because of this light hypersensitivity

I notice that all it really takes to set one off is this...

I'll be reading in a specific light setting and then a flash of light of some kind comes at me obliquely. It doen't have to be bright or strong, just marginally brighter or stronger than the light I was already in.

And the flash of that light seems to imprint on my retina such that it doesn't fade after the light source is gone.

So there it is this bright blind spot in my field of vision that can stay there for hours ESPECIALLY if I don't immediately close my eyes and rest them for at least a half hour.

Yesh, it sucks, no doubt.

It pretty much insures that I won't be able to work very much that day even if I manage not to get that splitting headache that follows them.

 

[waltky]

Three blind mice can see again...

Totally blind mice get sight back
5 January 2013 - Totally blind mice have had their sight restored by injections of light-sensing cells into the eye, UK researchers report.

The team in Oxford said their studies closely resemble the treatments that would be needed in people with degenerative eye disease. Similar results have already been achieved with night-blind mice. Experts said the field was advancing rapidly, but there were still questions about the quality of vision restored. Patients with retinitis pigmentosa gradually lose light-sensing cells from the retina and can become blind. The research team, at the University of Oxford, used mice with a complete lack of light-sensing photoreceptor cells in their retinas. The mice were unable to tell the difference between light and dark.

Reconstruction

They injected "precursor" cells which will develop into the building blocks of a retina once inside the eye. Two weeks after the injections a retina had formed, according to the findings presented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal. Prof Robert MacLaren said: "We have recreated the whole structure, basically it's the first proof that you can take a completely blind mouse, put the cells in and reconstruct the entire light-sensitive layer." Previous studies have achieved similar results with mice that had a partially degenerated retina. Prof MacLaren said this was like "restoring a whole computer screen rather than repairing individual pixels". The mice were tested to see if they fled being in a bright area, if their pupils constricted in response to light and had their brain scanned to see if visual information was being processed by the mind.

Vision

Prof Pete Coffee, from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London, said the findings were important as they looked at the "most clinically relevant and severe case" of blindness. "This is probably what you would need to do to restore sight in a patient that has lost their vision," he said. However, he said this and similar studies needed to show how good the recovered vision was as brain scans and tests of light sensitivity were not enough. He said: "Can they tell the difference between a nasty animal and something to eat?" Prof Robin Ali published research in the journal Nature showing that transplanting cells could restore vision in night-blind mice and then showed the same technique worked in a range of mice with degenerated retinas.

He said: "These papers demonstrate that it is possible to transplant photoreceptor cells into a range of mice even with a severe level of degeneration. "I think it's great that another group is showing the utility of photoreceptor transplantation." Researchers are already trialling human embryonic stem cells, at Moorfields Eye Hospital, in patients with Stargardt's disease. Early results suggest the technique is safe but reliable results will take several years. Retinal chips or bionic eyes are also being trailed in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

BBC News - Totally blind mice get sight back

 

[whitehall]

I had the symptoms off and on for years at intervals ranging from a couple of months to almost a year and they were so bizarre that I never said anything until my daughter told me that she ran to the eye doctor when she had the same thing and told me what it was. For me there was no pain or even discomfort except for the strange flashing crescent that slowly crossed my field of vision. It came and went in a minute or two and didn't distort my vision enough to worry about driving.

 

[Marc85]

I used to get optical migraines, I'd get the zig-zag lines and a dark spot that grew bigger until I almost couldn't see out of one eye. This would last for about half an hour and then the pain would start and last an hour or so.
I seem to have grown out of those now and just get 'normal' migraines which last longer. The herb feverfew helps but I've also been prescribed beta blockers in the past.

 

[strollingbones]

my son and i both wear sun glasses...mine are transitional lenses that dont get as dark as i wished...he wears expensive oakleys that are very dark....that seems to help with the optical migraines

they exhaust me with or without the pain.....

 

[Ravi]

I get the optical migraines. Once the lights are gone the pain comes.

The light starts a small spot far out in my vision. Then it moves closer on one side or the other. It gets bigger as it comes closer. Anything behind the light i cannot see. For instance i can move my hands behind the light and i cant see my hands anymore. So if you are doing anything you need to see your out of luck. For the most part you are basically blind

The lights look like the sun just before sunset shimmering on water. It sparkles and moves. That part makes me a bit nauseous.

And truthfully i am sick of getting all the rare stuff!

I get those too, though not as often as before. Flashing lights can set them off. I've found that as soon as the optical part begins if I down three asprins the headache stays away.

 

[syrenn]

my son and i both wear sun glasses...mine are transitional lenses that dont get as dark as i wished...he wears expensive oakleys that are very dark....that seems to help with the optical migraines

they exhaust me with or without the pain.....

i have transitional glasses too..... but still have a set of prescription sun glasses. I dont think the transitions get dark enough for me either.

 

[syrenn]

I get the optical migraines. Once the lights are gone the pain comes.

The light starts a small spot far out in my vision. Then it moves closer on one side or the other. It gets bigger as it comes closer. Anything behind the light i cannot see. For instance i can move my hands behind the light and i cant see my hands anymore. So if you are doing anything you need to see your out of luck. For the most part you are basically blind

The lights look like the sun just before sunset shimmering on water. It sparkles and moves. That part makes me a bit nauseous.

And truthfully i am sick of getting all the rare stuff!

I get those too, though not as often as before. Flashing lights can set them off. I've found that as soon as the optical part begins if I down three asprins the headache stays away.

sucks! Im sorry you get them too ravi. Sometimes i can kill it with advil....and sometimes not.

I am just glad they dont happen often anymore..... i am careful to avoid the triggers.

For me its flashing lights or patterns, sun or bright light and perfume or strong scents

 

[Ravi]

I get the optical migraines. Once the lights are gone the pain comes.

The light starts a small spot far out in my vision. Then it moves closer on one side or the other. It gets bigger as it comes closer. Anything behind the light i cannot see. For instance i can move my hands behind the light and i cant see my hands anymore. So if you are doing anything you need to see your out of luck. For the most part you are basically blind

The lights look like the sun just before sunset shimmering on water. It sparkles and moves. That part makes me a bit nauseous.

And truthfully i am sick of getting all the rare stuff!

I get those too, though not as often as before. Flashing lights can set them off. I've found that as soon as the optical part begins if I down three asprins the headache stays away.

sucks! Im sorry you get them too ravi. Sometimes i can kill it with advil....and sometimes not.

I am just glad they dont happen often anymore..... i am careful to avoid the triggers.

For me its flashing lights or patterns, sun or bright light and perfume or strong scents

Yep, those all get me as well. I avoid department stores and I actually had to put kraft paper in my windows at the office because the slats from the blinds were killing me.