Difference Between Ophthalmic and Basilar Migraine Headache Types

Out of the millions of people who suffer from migraines, it has been statistically recorded that there are more women migraine sufferers than men.

It means that more women are suffering from this serious illness known as migraine, a type of headache that lasts for a longer duration and at a more intense level of pain.

Initially, migraines start out as a dull pain in the sufferers head. This dull pain increases its level and turns into a persistent drumming and later into an excruciating pain that will dwell in the temple and at the front or back part of a person’s head. The pain becomes so unbearable that the suffering person becomes disoriented and nauseous and will tend to vomit as he or she reacts to too much light or noise.

Migraine symptoms are constant and tend to be alike, although the presence of some migraine symptoms in one person may not be the same symptoms in another sufferer. In this regard, it may be helpful to know that migraines are also classified into two migraine types: the basilar migraine and the ophthalmic migraine. The difference between these two migraine types is the location where the epicenter of the pain lies.

What is Basilar Type Migraine?

Basilar migraine can be described as the typical between the two migraine types. It shares a common symptom with the migraine headache in that it includes nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. A person suffering from basilar migraine experiences a tingling numbness throughout the body and difficulty in speaking. He is unable to move around or work well since vision becomes affected to the point of seeing double.

What distinguishes the basilar migraine from the other migraine types is that the pain is located near the base of the skull and is characterized by a severe pounding quality of pain from the base escalating upwards to both sides of the brain. As expected, the pain in this migraine type is described as excruciating

This migraine type is not common among ordinary migraine sufferers but can be experienced by those who are susceptible to stroke. Hence, persons suffering from this migraine type are closely attended to by their physician because the sufferer is at risk of having a stroke.

What is Ophthalmic Type Migraine?

Ophthalmic migraine, as the name indicates, is related to the eyes and its visual ability as it manifests an onset of migraine attack where bursts of lights get to affect the eye. Actually, ophthalmic migraine does not produce the headache but is instigated by the toothed-like appearance of light patterns right in the person’s vision.

Accordingly, these bursts of light are experienced by the migraines sufferer from the blind spot area of their vision. Thereafter, the burst radiates outwards until it obscures the whole eyesight of the individual. The said occurrence of this migraine type will prolong for about 10 to 30 minutes until it produces the painful headache.

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