Ocular Migraine?

Anyone else have the pleasure of dealing with this bizarre occurrence? Neuro told me they are fairly common. My only solution to these has been to wait them out. Usually 20-30 mins. They aren’t painful rather they are just weird. It’s this arching lighting bolt shape is in my field of vision. I’m thinking too much caffeine or too much stress are the triggers.

[greaterexp]

My husband has had a few episodes of this. They seem to happen only at work and may be triggered by too much computer screen time. He never has pain either. But they are very unnerving, aren’t they?

[Hidden in reply to greaterexp]

Yes! Thanks for that reply. I’m not sure if you go through this, but it’s like MS has so many bizarre symptoms that I always immediately assume any new thing is MS related. Maybe I just spent too much time on on my phone today!? (I actually did). So, time to put the phone down. Haha.

[greaterexp in reply to Hidden]

My first thought tends to lean toward MS, too, when I experience a new symptom, but I’m learning that isn’t a good idea!

I’m sorry you deal with this problem as well as MS. I hope the episodes are as rare as they are for my husband.

[kdali]

Yep, twice, mine appeared silver and I went to rest after. The first one was last year and I thought I was having a stoke. Luckily a family member who gets them was here and told me what it was.

[CraigS]

Sounds scary. I blame everything on MS. Even bad weather!😆

[marktwinter]

It

[Florentina32]

I had them very often in the past in a period when SM was very active, I have them again now as the SM started relapsing again. I my case they start as a light discomfort and then cover parts of my head in strong migranes that's why as soon as I feel them, I take some pain killer pills so that the migrane won't last so long and hurt as much.

[marktwinter]

Acephalic ocular migraine is visual symptoms without a headache. It is a constriction of blood flow to your optic nerve. The episode lasts typically 20 minutes. What triggers it is everything that causes an regular headache migraine.( caffeine, light sources, stress.....). As long as it does not go black (transient ischemic attack), no worries. I personally get them frequently and for me it is mostly different light sources. example computer screens first thing in the morning.

[Juliew19673]

Yes, I wasn't sure what the "Fireworks" flashes were until my neuro told me it was a migraine, which I had in my 20s but those were PAINFUL! These are more distracting and I now take them as a precursor as to something more to come...

[jennie62]

My mom only has Ocular migraines, I try to get her to visit a Neuro. She finally did this years. She hasn't told me anything about results of the appt. Thanks to my Neuro Botox injections I haven't had a migraine (including ocular migraines) in a while. I've noticed lately when it's raining I get migraines. I notice that they always come with barometric changes. If the temperature changes I have a Ocular migraines well. Hope you feel better and the ocular migraines stop for you.

[Bodega1939]

Yes, I have had those "ocular migraines" for years and years, literally. No pain and very interesting to observe as my field of vision waxes and wanes and the waxes again as the scotoma crosses from my R to my left. The scintillation is very beautiful. I do not mind them except when they make it impossible to continue what I am doing...like driving a car or flying a plane.

The whole plane thing was a disaster waiting to happen. I, of course, had to have a flight physical, etc. No one nor I ever thought about ocular migraines. So, there I was up there on one of my solos (hadn't had too many anyway) and BOOM I just couldn't see. My instructor was in another piper cub at my R rear. I related to him the situation and he said, "Your body knows when it is flying straight. Just do that." So I did and within the 30 minutes necessary, I was seeing again and flew to the airport and never flew solo again. Sigh.

Other than that I have never had a problem with them. I do not know why they occur...they are not associated with stress or hard physical work or anything that I know of. And they remain beautiful.

[ahrogers]

I was going to answer no but wonder if I do. It happens so infrequently I don't think I have even told my doctor but I do have episodes where my peripheral vision is like looking through a kaleidoscope. Not sure if it ocular migraine but when I told my husband about it once he said he gets it too.

[Hidden]

Yes!! I remember my first one was while I was at work, alone on a Saturday, 20 miles from home wondering how I would get back. 20 minutes later it was gone.

When I found out it was a migraine, I said would rather have this kind everyday than the headache one once a month. Unfortunately, I don't get to pick which kind I get.

You may be right about stress being the cause because I usually got them at work. Haven't had one since I went on disability.