| To many people, a migraine headache is a | | | | is nothing. Perhaps you are looking at a flower, |
| migraine headache. They assume, falsely, that all | | | | and the center of the flower is missing. Or you |
| migraines are pretty much the same. So when | | | | are watching television, and you can see the |
| one of the 15% of our population that suffers | | | | outside of the screen, but cannot see the center |
| from migraine says they have an ocular migraine, | | | | of the picture. When you close the unaffected |
| non-sufferers may raise a skeptical eyebrow. The | | | | eye, you can see that portion of the screen. The |
| truth is, however, that there are many different | | | | affected eye, however, has a blind spot. |
| kinds of migraine. | | | | 2. When looking through the affected eye, you |
| Define Ocular Migraine | | | | see everything as though hidden behind a shade |
| An ocular migraine is a type of migraine that | | | | of gray. It is as though you were watching |
| focuses on that part of the aura in which visual | | | | television and someone slipped a piece of thin |
| symptoms predominate. There may never be an | | | | gray cloth over the screen. |
| actual headache. | | | | 3. Another test for ocular migraine is to see if the |
| Symptoms of Ocular Migraine | | | | affected eye sees things as though looking |
| If you are familiar with regular migraine pain, and | | | | through a window with rain streaming down over |
| now hear of ocular migraine, you may very well | | | | it. The watery glass effect will be limited to one |
| ask, "How do I know if I have an ocular migraine? | | | | eye. |
| I have no headache." | | | | Ocular Migraine Symptoms Are Temporary |
| An ocular migraine is sometimes called a migraine | | | | Although you may feel, during an optical migraine |
| without headache. It is a migraine that distorts | | | | episode, that you will never see clearly again, the |
| images when you look at them. The distortion | | | | symptoms are temporary and will not cause |
| usually begins in the image's center, and then | | | | lasting damage to your eye. |
| moves to one side. Ocular migraine is likely to | | | | While they are present, however, ocular migraine |
| affect only one eye at a time. As an ocular | | | | symptoms will interfere with daily activities such |
| migraine progresses, images may turn grey or | | | | as reading and driving. |
| wavy. You may even lose your sight temporarily. | | | | Why Ocular Migraine Is Not Just Another Migraine |
| Doctors differ in their understanding of ocular | | | | Aura |
| migraine. Some say that ocular migraine is more | | | | Ocular migraine and migraine with aura are very |
| likely to occur as you get older. Others say it is | | | | similar, and some people have difficulty |
| typically seen in young adults. It can be quite | | | | distinguishing between the two. The source of the |
| frightening, as you may think you are losing your | | | | visual disturbances is the key. If it is migraine with |
| sight forever. | | | | aura, the source of visual trouble is the brain's |
| Physicians differ, too, in their understanding of | | | | occipital cortex. If it is ocular migraine, the source |
| ocular migraine symptoms. Some use the term to | | | | is the eye's retinal blood vessels. |
| explain visual disturbances of aura without | | | | Test Your Suspected Ocular Migraine |
| headache. Other use it to refer to one-sided blind | | | | A relatively good test for ocular migraine is to |
| spots in the field of vision, or blindness, that lasts | | | | cover or close one eye. If the symptoms remain, |
| less than an hour and is associated with a | | | | cover or close the opposite eye. If the |
| headache. | | | | symptoms stop, you probably have an ocular |
| Do you have ocular migraine? With or without a | | | | migraine. If the symptoms do not stop, but affect |
| headache, if you have the visual disturbances of | | | | both eyes, you are probably experiencing |
| an aura in only one eye, yours may be an ocular | | | | traditional migraine aura. |
| migraine. | | | | CAUTION: Although yours may be ocular migraine, |
| Specific Symptoms of Ocular Migraine: | | | | it may be something else. You are urged to seek |
| How do I know if I have an ocular migraine? I will | | | | advice from your physician. You will want to rule |
| have one or more of the following specific | | | | out serious eye disease, or a blood vessel |
| symptoms. See if any of these is true of you. | | | | disorder in vessels near the eye. |
| 1. Holes in your field of vision - places where there | | | | |