Does anyone get ocular migraines?

[luluxxx]

So today I was in town absolutely fine
All of a sudden my vision went blurry and like bits of my vision missing.
Then I started seeing flashing lights in my eyes.
lasted 20 mins and went away then came back and lasted 10 mins.

Panicked a bit and went to the a&e eye hospital.
They checked blood pressure /eye pressure
eyes etc
Said everything looked fine and was ocular migarine.
she couldn’t tell me what caused them.
It was pretty scary
I feel a bit meh now and a bit headachy but my vision is fine.

It's called scintillating schitoma.

I had one, it was like a chessboard in the bottom of my eye for 20 mins or so. I have PVD in both eyes and I was worried it was a retinal problem. I had it checked and nothing was found and they said it was ocular migraine. It was about 6 years ago and none since.
Two years ago DH had one out of the blue. He said it was like a patch of his vision was jumbled for half an hour. The optician referred him to hospital in case it was a TIA as it can signify that. Nothing found so they guessed ocular migraine but can't rule out a TIA.

I get mine when I’m dehydrated with cracked vision then a pounding head. Tablets and a kip in a darkened room sorts me out . I’ve had more in my 50’s and since exercising more

My boss's wife is a neurologist, so I trust what he says based on what she says. He told me if it happened at work to lock my office door (luckily a single office) and lie down til it passed. Seems to work well. I've had to do it a few times.

I’ve had a few like that, really scary.
First one I actually saw a neurologist as they were concerned it was a TIA. Said it was my irregular working hours, doing every other night was messing with my brain. HCP are the most common occupations for these.
second one was after drinking 2 cans of coke and the third was complete dehydration.
scary as sh1t. I drink a lot of water now.

interesting to note commonality in HCPs - guilty as charged. Shifts suck.

Yes, they're very scary. The first one I had was while I was reading, the words started jumping around all over the page and I lost the ability to focus. Then the flashing lights started, I lost the ability to speak after that, the words were in my brain but stuck there. I was actually blue lighted to hospital with a suspected stroke.

I had one once at work- left eye.

It was just before a storm, so I don’t know whether that caused it. I’ve never had one since.

Yes I get them a few times a year, although not had one for quite a few months now.
Several of my family all seem to suffer too.
Once had one driving on the motorway, very lucky as was just approaching a services but it would be dicey otherwise.

Doctors and opticians don’t seem too bothered, I usually feel pretty wiped out for the rest of the day afterwards though.

I used to suffer them regularly. They were hormonal for me (around menstruation and sometimes ovulation too). Took me a while to figure it out. Although something as innocuous as a car headlight appearing suddenly could trigger one as well. I'd have up to 15 a year.

Saw GP and optician but as I was able to manage them (as long as I took a painkiller immediately I could avoid the headache and I never got any nausea) I was never prescribed anything for them.

I'd sometimes have to go off during work and sit in a dark / unused office but I'd be back to normal within 30 minutes.

Oddly after DC2 (who is now 11) they became much less frequent and I have maybe 2 or 3 a year now.

They can be pretty scary but once I knew what they were and how best to manage them, they weren't so bad.

I get the vision disturbance - flashing lights etc - but no headache

Yes 😌
The first time I thought I was having a stroke (not being dramatic - family history) not I just think ‘oh another one’ wait ten mins or so and carry on with my day.

I had one once I couldn’t see peripherally and what I could see it was like a kaleidoscope. It was frightening but I haven’t had one since.

Yes,I started getting them in my 20s.
The first sign for me is a sort of shimmering light in the peripheral vision of my right eye. It then progresses to orange/yellow zig zags of light across my field of vision and when I close my eyes I can still see the zig zags. They can last up to 30 minutes and may or may not be followed by a headache.

Yes, I get them. If I get stressed, and especially if I've also been doing a lot of scrolling back & forth on the computer which I do at work ( so a combination of factors).

I first lose vision - so I notice that I can't see something in the middle of my vision. This is my cue to go somewhere quiet. Then I get the flashing lights which get worse until they go round in a circle, then start to fade. The whole thing takes about 20 minutes. I don't often get a headache but do feel a bit shit afterwards.

The stuff I've read says these aren't dangerous or damaging at all, so try not to worry.

Mine started like that about a year ago, flashes, blurry bits then vertigo feelings. I then had a whole week several months later where I was bed bound and unable to eat or stand - so more vestibular. Managed to get to the gp for the last day, still in agony, eyes watering with the light and feeling I was going to vomit and was put on daily slow release proprananol after sumatriptan. So far not had such a bad one since but they are now monthly and regularly around my periods (also on HRT in peri).

I started getting them when I was 40. No real stress as I was travelling. They usually came in clusters. Started in left eye, then a bad headache. Over the years the headaches haven't been as bad. I can't remember the last time I had one. I'll be 60 in a few weeks.

Yes I’ve had them . Haven’t had one in about two years but the first few were pretty unsettling

I got my first one in my early 30’s after a bereavement. It’s like looking into a kaleidoscope and I feel a bit unwell, no headache but tired after. I lie down in a darkened room and usually lasts less than half an hour but recent ones are a couple of hours.

I’ve been getting them on and off for about 2/3 yrs , I don’t get headaches just the kaleidoscope vision so it’s just inconvenient particularly if I’m driving .

I've self diagnosed myself with this. It started maybe 10yrs ago in my right eye. A zig zag, warped vision. It generally lasts 5-15min max. Sometimes I get a mild headache afterwards. I never get migraines or headaches otherwise.

I kept a tracker because I wondered if I had a trigger, but couldn't find one. I found no correlation with my menstrual cycle, whether I was wearing contacts or glasses, being tired, specific foods etc. Other than folic acid (TTC at the time) I wasn't on any meds, contraceptives etc.

Initially, they might have happened 4x a year. I'm now late 40's and in peri and get maybe only once a year at most. The only difference I can think of is that my current job is WFH, whereas 10yrs ago, I was hands on in a very stressful role.

I get it in both eyes, thankfully not too often. I've had them exactly as OP describes with the bits of vision missing. I'll be in work looking at a document and realise I can only see part of the sentence.
Other times I have vision exactly like ..not sure anyone will know what I'm on about here but you're sitting on a train and you're travelling past a fence with gaps and you're looking right at it, and the scene behind flashes.

I first got them about 5 years ago (so mid - late 30s) when I went on the pill after years off it. As soon as I came off the pill they stopped. Recently come back though so I suspect its due to hormonal changes with peri, need to look into hrt.

Very interesting because one of mine happened on an incredibly clammy day where a storm was brewing.
My other one happened in early pregnancy.
Both were over quickly but very scary when you lose vision. I had a bad headache and mild nausea for the rest of the day.

I’ve been having them since I was about 25, now 50. My triggers are turbulent weather (so I reckon I’ll have one before the weekend is over!), missing lunch (don’t do that often anymore but was regular occurrence when I was teaching) and stress.

I sometimes get a headache, but I always feel like crap afterwards and get drowsy. Really useful if it happens when I’m in the office. If I’m away from home, I don’t take the prescription painkillers because they knock me out too, so I can’t drive.