The Basics Of Eye Migraines
Eye migraines, also known as ocular migraines or acephalagic migraines, are a neurological problem that is characterized by abnormal visual sensations, headaches, nausea, and vomiting. People suffering from eye migraines often will also feel sensitivity to stimuli such as light and sound, particularly in the migraine’s early stage. These migraines vary from a class migraine, however they are still a burden for the people who suffer from them and can prevent the person from going about their day.
History Of Migraines
Eye migraines will often affect people who have a history of traditional migraine headaches. Spells of eye migraines will occur irregularly in migraine sufferers, and can be repeated. For instance, a patient suffering from eye migraines may have a spell that lasts an entire week and then experience months of no symptoms before they reappear for just half an hour. The problem can sometimes seem to disappear as quickly as it arrived, but the visual symptoms of eye migraines can be problematic for those who experience the condition.
Research has yet to establish the exact causes of migraine headaches, although scientists are getting closer and have some interesting theories. One of the main suspected causes of eye migraines is vascular spasms, which affect the ocular blood vessel that provides blood to the vision center of the brain. Eye migraines can also be triggered by extreme stress, oral contraceptives, premenstrual changes, alcohol consumption, and even some foods. Common food triggers include things like chocolate, chicken liver, red wine, and meats that are preserved in nitrates. Identifying your particular triggers can help you reduce the number of migraines and eye migraines that you suffer from.
During an eye migraine, normal vision is blocked by unusual visual sensations. In the early stages of the migraine, a person’s peripheral vision can be distorted as well. The person may see shimmering or semi-circular light is pale pastel shades, as well as jagged distortions to the edges of objects in the field of vision.
As the eye migraine develops, there can also be patchy losses of vision. Fifteen or twenty minutes later there may be zigzagging patterns moving throughout the field of vision. These will move outward until they leave the field of vision entirely and your sight returns to normal. The losses of vision are one of the most dangerous effects of an eye migraine, so if you feel symptoms coming on, you should find a place to relax.
If you are suffering from eye migraines, you may want to see your doctor to check that there is no problem in regard to blood flow. In many cases you do not need to treat these but your doctor can prescribe pain killers to help relieve the pain. However, not all eye migraines are accompanied by a painful headache so you may just need to be patient until the eye migraine subsides.
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