Occasionally I get a weird thing in my vision where I can see a sort of crescent with zig-zag black and white lines. It goes away after about 10 minutes. My doc said it was occular migraine. I've hardly ever had a headache in my life, btw. Has anyone else had this?

But even weirder, for about a minute yesterday I had double vision - I was driving and had to stop the car. It was really scary!

I'm prone to panic/anxiety about my health anyway, so try not to scare me. I was deffo not anxious yesterday though (until this happened). Has anyone heard of this happening in connection with migraine?

I have heard of it, but if you haven't already done so, get your eyes chacked.

CHECKED - I really will have to go and look for my glasses.

I have had my eyes checked not too long ago, and this double vision thing happened once before, about 5 years ago. No cause identified.

Are you taking medication of any sort?

Thanks for your post, I had something like this about a year ago and it's been a niggling worry since then, nothing since but always wondered what it was. I was going through an anxious time (when am I not) and it just sort of happened in one eye, slowly and faint at first and then stronger and then disappeared. Is that what yours was like? Same as you, no headache. Anxiety must be something to do with it then. Don't think you have to be feeling anxious at that moment (I wasn't), but it has a habit of creeping up on you. I have panic attacks when asleep!!! wake up with palpitations.

I think that anxiety/stress can be a trigger, just as it can be for migraine.

Don't know about double vision btw, but my vision goes weird when I'm panicked. Go for an eye test, but I'm sure it's all related to anxiety.

I often get the migraine eye thing without the headache, I hate it and worry, worry, worry every time.

Had it 3 days in a row last week, never had that before.

Think in my case it's hormonal.

I have had something similar too. Visual disturbance - whatever I happened to look at seemed to disappear eg if reading, the word I was looking at disappeared but could see the words on either side clearly. No headache.

I get the visual disturbances without migraines. I actually panicked the first time, as I get the black and white zig zag, and was all prepared for an attacka nd nothing happened. both my optician and GP said it was occular migraine
I have also been getting really bad double vision and blind spots recently and the headaches have just started again this past week

i think that can be a sign of high blood pressure, I had it in pregnancy when I had pre eclampsia, maybe worth checking out.

Chunkychips and Cadelaide - did you have the zig-zag thing or the double vision?

The zig-zag thing doesn't bother me too much, as I've heard of several other people who get this.

My double vision came on very quickly, within a few seconds. I just had time to think, 'oh, that's weird, everything looks funny' and looked for a place to pull off the road. By the time I'd stopped it was proper unmistakeable double vision. When I closed one eye it was OK. However, when I get the zig-zags I can see this even with eyes closed.

I get this... I seem to get what I call mini migraines... no headache only visual disturbances.. and a vague feeling... they only last half and hour....
my triggers are hunger, (I can never miss or be late for a meal) stress... (ususally the kids hospital appointments) and lights.. especially flickering lights or bright sunlight... I always wear my sunglasses even int he middle of winter...

How long do yours last for... do you know your triggers...

I used to get full on migraines... where I would loose the ability to talk and lost the feeling in one side of my body... and the visual disturbances....

I don't know what my triggers are, but I always try and have a good think about what I've been doing.

Wasn't hungry. Didn't feel any immediate stress, although I have been a bit more busy and stressed than usual lately. I've never really been able to identify a pattern.

What worried me was the double-vision, as I've not heard of this in connection with migraine before. I did feel slightly odd for the next hour or so - thick-headed would be putting it too strongly, but this type of thing.

misselizabeth, did you get the double vision with the zig-zag lines or was it on its own?

I get it when I'm extremely tired. Sometimes it's caused by bright lights.

You should get it checked though. It's scarey.

Double vision on its own, chipmonkey.

i have this all the time with my migraines. i also feel confused, fuzzy and sick. i rarely get the headache, or if i do its after the eye thing. i take migraleve as soon as i start to feel it coming on and if i catch it in time it usually stops it. mine is mostly hormonal, but also stress and going from dark to bright light or vice versa.

misselizabeth: I have had the zig zag thing, same as you, even with eyes closed.
Haven't had double vision, but do get odd visual disturbances which trigger off a panic attack unless I can talk myself out of it. If you've been stressed I would put it down to that. Do you have anxiety regularly or suffer from panic attacks? If it keeps happening, see your optician/dr again, but I wouldn't worry.

misselizabeth, only the zigzag thing for me, never double vision.

I'd feel inclined to get that checked, I think.

I've also never had the double vision. That needs to be checked.

If double vision on its own, I would get that checked and I would suggest attending a good optometrist rather than a GP.

Thanks everyone. I will make the relevant appointments and try not to worry so much.

Yes, I get visual migraine without the headache.

Luckily it only happens occasionally. My peripheral vision goes zig zag. It's a bit like looking through a kaleidoscope or prism. Lasts about 20 minutes and goes away. Always feel ok afterwards.

Thanks.

Yes, I get exactly this often. I also get 'proper' migraines. I take naramig as soon as the zigzags come and it's usually OK. I also eat a banana or live natural yoghurt afterwards, not really sure why, but it does seem to make me feel better - placebo effect?

I have had this for years. My first awareness is that my hand somehow feels not part of me then i get the prisms in my vision. I've never had a headache but I then feel totally washed out and could sleep for ever! Touch wood I only ever get a couple a year and they are normally at the end of term when I am starting to wind down after being very busy.

Yes, I have never had a migraine headache (or many headaches at all) but I get symptoms including:

- weird jaggy c shape thing across my vision
- missing patches of my vision that can go on for several days
- numbness down one side
- being clumsy and forgetful for a day after some of the other symptoms have happened

I have had 2 MRI scans and load of other tests over the last few years just to rule out anything else and have a clean bill of health. It is worth getting it checked out of course as many of these symptoms could indicate something else, but the visual symptoms without headache definitely do happen.

I used to get both visual disturbances without migraine and visual disturbances with migraine. Would normally be a swirling pattern surrounding my peripheral vision and if I was going to get a headache, it would start within 10 mins.
Occasionally vision would go very dark with stripes and would always have a headache with this.
Touch wood, have not had one since DD1 was born 3 years ago.
Would, as others have said, get the double vision checked out. I would suggest going to both an optician and your gp.

I started to get the zig-zag flashing lights when I was pregnant. It would start as a tiny blind spot in my peripheral vision which would spread over the next 20-25 minutes until it obscured my whole vision, then disappear. Occasionally, I would get a mild headache.

After giving birth they stopped until I went back on the pill and they started again. There did seem to be a link with stress or lack of food.

Had my eyes tested, had an MRI scan, saw a neurologist etc etc. He concluded that they were ocular migraines linked to hormones and recommended I stop the pill as there would be an increased risk of stroke. EEk !!

He was right, I stopped the pill several years ago and VOILA-no more.

Misselizabeth, symptoms of anxiety can strike at the oddest times, when you may not actually be "feeling" anxious. What I'm trying to say is yes, get the double vision thing checked, but do try not to get too worked up about it, it's unlikely to be anything serious.

Yes, I get aura migraines which might or might not have a headache attached.

I get both the double vision adn the visual disturnbances with migraine. Ususally it goes on to also give me the headache, but not always. My disturbances are more like sparklers going off on the edge of sight, getting brighter and brighter, and, like someone else said, like a kaleidoscope.

I also once totally lost the vision in one eye. Doc was worried it was optic neuritis, which can be a makrker for MS, but I was clear on a scan and anyway, went on to develop a really nasty headache in about 4 hours, so even before the scan they were pretty sure it was migraine. Its never happened since, though there have been a couple of times I have felt like it might be going to ( how do I know, not sure, migraine is so weird) but it hasnt.