What is Visual Migraine?
Migraine is not synonymous to pain in all cases.
There are different types of this neurological disorder and, believe it or not, one type is virtually considered painless. This silent type of eye migraine is called visual migraine, sometimes referred to as occular or ophthalmic migraine.
The main difference of visual migraine compared to other types is the absence of migraine headache. This is possible even when spasms, called vasospasms, constrain the flow of blood in the arteries behind the eyes to the optic nerves.
Visual distortion and blurry vision are signs of visual migraine. For ten to forty minutes, never exceeding an hour, vision is affected starting from the center then progresses to the peripheral or side and normally affects one eye at a time.
Partial blindness would not cause any lingering effects on the brain or vision, but should be taken seriously enough to heed stopping from work or good vision related actions such as driving to prevent accidents. Flashes of light in a zigzag pattern can also appear in the sufferer’s line of vision.
Blind spots are also common determinants of visual migraine. This happens when there are apparent holes in your surroundings, and may also appear after rubbing your eyes. Gray color usually replaces other details in your field of vision.
To determine if visual migraine is what you are experiencing, close one eye alternately. Numbing and tingling on parts of the body, dizziness and speech problems may also accompany these visual problems. The symptoms, such as blind spots and vision distortion, would stop when one eye is covered.
Of course, self-medication is not advisable at all times since the symptoms you have might refer to another condition in the eye or blood vessels. Consulting with an eye doctor, even with the seeming lack of seriousness of the condition, is recommended especially for people who are suffering recurring migraine.
The cause for visual migraines is still unknown, but there are conditions proven to trigger attacks of visual migraine such as stress, allergic reaction, hormonal reactions such as those induced by oral contraceptives and premenstrual changes, flashing lights, temporary brain edema and possibly endocrine disturbances.
In visual migraine cases that do not implicate damage in the blood vessels, treatment is almost unnecessary. Sleeping the body’s minimum requirement of at least eight hours a day and a good day can significantly reduce the frequency and degree of visual migraine attacks.
Acquainting yourself with your triggers can help in prevention of visual migraine. Although this type is not permanently curable, preventive measures can spell a long way to obtaining relief from the episodes and lessen the occurrence of attacks.
Women are more affected by visual migraine than men in a ratio of 3:1, but this does not mean that alleviating the discomforts of having it are only sought by the former. Even if this migraine is regarded as painless, there are still ways of making the symptoms more tolerable.
Cope up and give your body a rest when experiencing the first signs of attack. Make sure that you are in a spot where you can pass several minutes quietly, especially when driving. Make yourself comfortable and do not aggravate the pain. Visual migraine is still, after all, a disorder.
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