Ocular Migraines
Ocular Migraines
What you need to know about
Ocular Migraines
For a brief period of time — less than an hour — an ocular migraine can induce vision loss or blindness in one eye. This might occur before or after a migraine headache.
It’s really uncommon. According to some research, the symptoms are often caused by other issues.
Auras, which might include flashing lights and blind patches, often accompany migraine symptoms on a regular basis. However, these symptoms frequently affect both eyes.
Consult your doctor to see if you suffer from ocular migraine. They can rule out other illnesses that create symptoms that are similar to the ones you’re experiencing. Prepare to describe your experience in as much detail as possible to assist them in determining what’s truly going on.
Symptoms
Ocular migraine may also be referred to as visual, retinal, ophthalmic, or monocular migraines by your doctor. The following are some of the warning signs:
Only one eye is affected by vision impairment. Migraine with an aura or a change in vision are examples of these. It could last only a few minutes or up to 30 minutes.
It can be difficult to detect if your symptoms are limited to one eye. The blindness or flashing lights may appear to be on one side of your eyesight, but they fact affect both eyes. Cover one eye and then the other if you’re not sure.
A headache that lasts between four and seventy-two hours. It has a tendency to:
- One side of your head will be affected.
- Feel somewhat or severely afflicted.
- Throbbing or pulsing.
- When you move around, you feel even worse.
Other signs and symptoms could include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Having a high sensitivity to light or sound
Diagnosis
Your doctor will inspect your eyes and ask you questions about your symptoms. They’ll look for other conditions that can produce comparable issues, such as:
- Amaurosis Fugax is a condition in which there is a shortage of blood flow to the eye, resulting in temporary blindness. It can occur as a result of a blockage in an artery leading to the eye.
- The artery that supplies blood to the retina spasms.
- Giant cell arteritis is a condition in which blood vessels become inflamed. It has the potential to cause vision difficulties and even blindness.
- Other autoimmune disease-related blood vessel problems.
- Abuse of drugs.
- Sickle cell disease and polycythemia are two conditions that prevent your blood from clotting properly.
- Transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke.
Causes
The exact cause of ocular migraine is unknown. Some believe the issue is linked to:
- Spasms in the blood vessels of the retina, the back of the eye’s lining
- Changes that propagate across the retina’s nerve cells
It’s uncommon, but persons who suffer from these types of migraines may be at a higher risk of losing eyesight in one eye permanently. Experts are unsure whether migraine-prevention medications, such as tricyclic antidepressants or anti-seizure drugs, can help prevent vision loss. However, even if your ocular migraine goes away on its own, it’s a good idea to discuss your symptoms with your doctor.
Treatment
Most people do not require treatment since the visual aspect of ocular migraine usually lasts less than 60 minutes. Stop what you’re doing and take some time to rest your eyes until your eyesight returns to normal. Take a pain reliever that your doctor suggests if you have a headache.
If you just have a visual loss in one eye, it could be the result of a serious problem unrelated to migraine. Get medical care as soon as possible.
There hasn’t been much research on how to treat or prevent ocular migraines. Your doctor may prescribe one or more of the following medications:
- Epilepsy medications such as valproic acid (Depakote, Depakene) and topiramate (Qudexy XR, Topamax, Trokendi XR).
- Amitriptyline (Elavil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), and venlafaxine are tricyclic antidepressants (Effexor).
- Beta-blockers like metoprolol (Lopressor) and propranolol (Inderal), as well as calcium-channel blockers like nicardipine (Cardene) and verapamil, are used to treat high blood pressure (Calan).
- Galcanezumab (Vyepti), eptinezumab (Vyepti), erenumab (Aimovig), fremanezumab (Ajovy), and erenumab (Aimovig) are CGRP inhibitors (Emgality).
Another gadget to consider is the sTMS small. At the first hint of a headache, you place it at the back of your head, and it emits a magnetic pulse that activates a region of the brain. Nerivio is a wireless remote electrical neuromodulation device worn on the upper arm to relieve migraine headaches.
Additionally, gammaCore, a noninvasive vagus nerve stimulator, gives modest electrical stimulation to the nerve’s fibres to relieve pain or prevent migraines.
Ocular Migraine Prevention
To avoid migraines, the first step is to avoid triggers. These frequently include:
- Stress
- Smoking
- Blood pressure that is too high
- Hormonal birth control pills are a type of birth control tablet that is used to prevent
- Exercise
- bending down
- Extremely high elevation
- Dehydration
- Blood sugar levels are low
- The heat that is excessive
Although dietary triggers including caffeine, alcohol, and artificial sweeteners can cause other forms of migraines, ocular migraines appear to be less likely.
If alternative therapies fail and you experience four or more migraine days per month, your doctor may recommend migraine prevention medications. These can be used on a daily basis to lessen the severity and frequency of headaches.
A gadget can also be used as a treatment. Cefaly is a migraine-prevention gadget that looks like a headband. Once a day, you utilise it for 20 minutes. It activates a nerve linked to migraine headaches by sending electrical impulses to the skin on the forehead. You’ll probably notice a tingling or massaging feeling when it’s turned on.