Understanding Vision Migraines

"Vision Migraine" or "Ocular Migraine" refers to a term used to describe a type of Visual disturbances such as visual loss, blind spots, zig-zag lines, or seeing stars are all symptoms of migraine. They can occur without any accompanying head pain, unlike other types of migraine. It's not unusual for a single patient to have a variety of visual symptoms. Here's everything you need to know about migraine subtypes that damage vision.

Types of Vision Migraines

Migraine with Aura

Migraine with aura impairs vision, causing symptoms such as flashes of light, blind patches, seeing stars or patterns, and other mild vision problems that resolve quickly. While visual disturbances are the most prominent symptom, aura can also impair other senses, interfering with speech, motor skills, and other central nerve symptoms. Migraine aura can occur with or without a headache, and it usually lasts only a few minutes. Aura symptoms frequently emerge in association with head pain between the premonitory and peak pain phases of migraine, that is, between the symptoms that warn of an approaching attack and when the head pain itself occurs.They may, however, linger longer than an hour in roughly 20% of people and may occur before or after the commencement of head discomfort in certain cases. Migraine with Aura affects 25-30% of migraine sufferers, and only about 20% of those with migraine visual aura have the aura phase with every migraine attack.

Retinal Migraine

Visual disturbances that occur in only one eye before or during the headache phase of a migraine attack are referred to as Retinal Migraine. Reduced vision, the appearance of twinkling lights, and brief blindness are all symptoms of Retinal migraines, which are more obtrusive than aura symptoms. Patients may struggle to discern between Migraine with Aura and Retinal Migraine, so get medical advice from a special needs optometrist if you suspect you're suffering from Retinal Migraine symptoms. Irreversible vision loss is a possible side effect of Retinal Migraine.

Reasons Behind Visual Migraine

Migraine aura is thought to be caused by aberrant electrical activity in certain areas of the brain's cortex (outside surface). This aberrant activity spreads across the cortex at a slow rate of around 3mm per minute, and this spread is what causes the visual disturbance to expand and move over the 20-60 minutes it lasts. Retinal migraine is caused by the same type of disruption, but it occurs in the retina at the back of the eye, or it is caused by a reduction in blood flow to the retina.

Harsh lighting and electronic screens, like other types of migraine, can be triggers. Strenuous visual activities such as gazing at a screen for long periods of time, spending time in fluorescent or other harsh lighting, driving long distances, and other visually taxing activities can raise your risk of attacks. Consult your eye doctor for advice on how to avoid attacks.