Ocular Migraine Headache
Individuals who have classic migraines are likely to experience ocular migraines. People with ocular migraines tend to experience a series of unusual visual sensations, which are typically followed by the onset of migraine headaches. Many ocular migraine sufferers report that they can often tell they are about to experience an ocular migraine when they become hypersensitive to bright light or sound.
Ocular migraines usually occur in only one eye. A typical sign an ocular migraine is starting is the presence of a small blind spot in the eye. In just a few short minutes, this blind spot becomes bigger. The spot is then surrounded by a colored, zigzagged border or there is shimmering around the spot.
The shimmering pattern starts expanding, resulting to patchy vision. For 15 to 30 minutes, vision is distorted. In some cases, the shimmering pattern could move travel from the center of the eye towards the side of the field of vision and then disappear. Once the shimmering pattern disappears, a migraine can develop. People report feeling exhausted after experiencing an ocular migraine.
What Causes Ocular Migraines?
The exact cause of ocular migraine is still largely unknown. However, researchers believe that an ocular migraine happens when the nerves found in the back of the brain received unusual stimulation. An ocular migraine is different from a classical migraine in terms of what is affected. In classical migraines, it is the brain's surface that is affected. In ocular migraines, the eye or brain's vision area's blood supply is what's affected.
Ocular migraines can cause a person to lose his vision. If you frequently experience ocular migraines and are concerned with how it is affecting your vision, visit an ophthalmologist. It's also suggested that you see a neurologist in order to rule out any medical conditions such as a blood clot in the retinal artery, migraine accompanied by aura, and stroke. All these conditions can exhibit similar symptoms for ocular migraine.
Treating Ocular Migraine
Ocular migraines usually do not need treatment as they usually go away after a short while. However, ocular migraines can be frustrating to those who suffer from them. Thus, it is a good idea to learn how to cope with ocular migraines once they are happening.
For one, if it appears that a migraine headache usually follows an ocular migraine, medications specifically for treating migraine headaches can be effective at relieving the pain brought about by ocular migraines. A word of warning: do not take triptans for ocular migraines. Triptans are common migraine medications. They work by constricting the blood vessels to take off the pressure on the nerves. However, the triptans' constricting effect can negatively affect the retina's blood vessels, resulting in loss of vision. Sumatriptan (Imitrex), Naratriptan (Amerge) and Zolmitriptan (Zomig) are known triptans. Before you take any medication for your ocular migraine, make sure that you take it under the direction of your doctor.