Ocular Migraines
Classically Known as Ophthalmic Migraines

It's been more than a few times that I have received phone calls at the office or at home from a patient of mine - just frantic that they are going blind.  After talking with them about their symptoms I let them know they had just experienced a visual disturbance called an ocular migraine.  With a fair amount of explanations and reassurance the patient is reassured that they will not be losing their sight.

An ocular migraine is a painless visual disturbance that usually lasts from 5-20 minutes where the vision in an area of their visual field can appear as wiggly lines, an area of missing vision, and/or distorted vision... much like looking above the pavement on a very hot day when images appear to wiggle.  To my knowledge, about half the people experience a migraine or severe headache after the visual disturbance, and half do not.

Even though this disturbance involves our vision, an ocular migraine does not occur in the eye at all, but in the part of the brain called the occipital lobe.  It is located in the back of the skull, the area that touches the ground while lying down with your head positioned to look straight up to the sky.

Just as classical migraine headaches are caused from a spasm of an artery in the brain, so is an ocular migraine.  And just as their may be a family tendency for migraine headaches, the same can be true for ocular migraines.  This interruption in blood flow is what "fools" the brain into thinking there is light, etc.  An ocular migraine episode does not cause permanent damage to brain tissue.

Ocular migraines may affect your vision, peripheral vision as well as visual acuity.  So if you experience one while engaging in something that might be potentially dangerous, especially driving, stop doing what you are doing and wait for the visual disturbance to go away.

What should you do if you experience symptoms like this?  Call your eye doctor or make an appointment to confirm the diagnosis.  If you start getting them more frequently, your medical doctor can prescribe medications that can reduce their incidence.  In persistent cases, I would recommend you see an neurologist to rule out possible causes of the spasms.

 ~RQ