Advice needed on suspected ocular migraines.

[Missingmemarbles]

Hi all. I started having these out of the blue about 6 weeks ago. I'm having them about once a week. Saw an ophthalmologist who suggested they're silent migraines. I think they're triggered by bright lights. They're quite debilitating, I see loads of lights and zig zags. I get blind spots too. Feel shattered after and my eyes ache but no head pain, fortunately.

Any advice on what might prevent them? They really unsettle me. Thank you.

Hi, I get these a couple of times a year. I usually take a couple of painkillers.

I don't really think the pain killers do anything, I think it just makes me feel more in control.

Not being able to see properly out of one eye feels dangerous. I'm a bit wobbly on my legs, so anything that makes moving about more of a hazard worries me.

I've had these for twenty years of more, so they don't worry me as such. And they are much, much preferable to the migraine that used to cause me pain and nausea

I have had them twice. I found fizzy drinks and no water were my triggers.

I've had this twice in the last 18 months, it is scary. The first time I went to the optician and had my eyes checked, they confirmed everything seemed fine and I had a few floaters and explained what they were and advised me to see gp as they can he caused by high blood pressure sometimes so I did but my BP was fine. I don't suffer from normal migraines but I do suffer chronic tension headaches supposedly unrelated.

Thank you for your replies. I'm having them every week. They're definitely triggered by bright lights. Short of permanently wearing sunglasses, I don't know how to control them. They're making me feel really anxious too.

I’ve also had these for 20 years. I get flashing lights and blind spots in my vision, almost like my eyes aren’t focusing together properly, IYSWIM. Luckily I don’t often get the pain.
They are really unsettling and make me feel knackered and wobbly.
I haven’t been able to find out my triggers but I usually take some migraleve and have a lie down, if possible.
I would see your GP though, just to be safe. It seems odd that you’ve never had them before but are now having one every week.

One of the downsides of chronic migraine is my photosenstive response to certain lights. I had a EEG done by the headache clinic to confirm this due to problems at work from working next to a photocopier in almost constant use.

As others have said have a chat with your GP to confirm this is a silent form of migraine [aura without the head pain] and not due to any other hidden health issues you have not noticed.

I have found it helpful to wear wrap round total eye cover grade 4 light block lenses in any concerts or areas of rapid/strobing changes in lights. I have Irlen lenses for computer use and use a light limiting filter and similar. I have light reactive prescription glasses.

There are some optemetrists out there who have an interest in both sight and migraine. Its worth hunting for one. The right pair of lenses for you can reduce photosensitive triggers down.

Yeah I get these occasionally. One thing to be aware of is that having migraines, whether they be typical migraines or visual migraines (aura/zigzags etc) does mean you are at a higher risk of stroke and TIA. Let your doctor know you have these. It’s not recommended that people with these take the normal oestrogen contraceptive pill as you are too high risk for it but the progesterone only pill (mini pill) is ok.

Really appreciate your responses. Thank you. I'm definitely going to speak to my gp.

How old are you OP? I ask as occasionally patients have had an early PVD (normal liquifictaion of the eye vitreous that happens in middle/old age) - that appears to be a visual migraine. Did you have an OCT?

Keep a migraine diary - so everything and anything you've done, eaten, stress levels that week.

I get these OP. I'm on Naratriptan. Migraleave is hard to get hold of and won't help with anything apart from pain.
My go to coping methods..
Tinted prescription glasses (as I'm photosensitive)
Aspirin - the dissolvable kind in a can of proper coke when I feel my eyes going funny. I take 3.
If possible I need to be sick. Grim as it sounds it seems to help.
A sleep can help (but never possible in day to day life!)
Knowing triggers and avoiding where posisble.
As above re the pill, any kind of hormone contraceptive makes mine 1000 times worse. The same with my periods, the week before I'm almost certain to get one. I feel so anxious and put of sorts. It's horrid. I hope you find a way of coping.

Hi. Im mid 30's. Some really helpful advice here. Thank you!

Overdoing screen time, phone, laptop, TV, even too much reading on Kindle are a trigger for me.
If I go over my "safe limit" I get a visual migraine. No pain just amazing colours and zig zags for 15 mins or so. Feel really hyped and unsettled after and exhausted the next day.

I get these - lose all my peripheral vision. Been having them on and off over 40 years! One of my triggers is a black background with white writing. It just sets them off, also flashing white lights, bright lights and stress. I usually get the headache the day after. I do only really get them at night time too which is the odd thing with it all, only very occasionally in the day. I take paracetamol or ibuprofen and then if a proper migraine sets in I will take something for that. Doc has never prescribed me with anything x

I used to suffer from these. My doctor put me on some very mild beta blockers which seemed to help. They can be hormonal so if you’re on any sort of hormonal contraceptive it is worth exploring whether that is the cause.

Mine started in my mid 30’s. I’ve now had them for 15 years. Mine are hormone related, started in my first pregnancy then my second, then nothing for a few years and now have them on the 3rd day of my period and have no idea why I get them some months and not others, maybe a higher level of either oestrogen or progesterone at that time? I don’t like having them, even after all this time they throw me into a panic attack, they start off as a small blind spot in my vision then it progresses into a small psychedelic zig zag which gets bigger and bigger across my vision (lasts about 20-30 mins) and not much of a headache but I can feel ‘off’ for a few hours to a day or two. Still not found an answer to stopping them though!

I get exactly these symptoms plus numb fingers, an inability to think of words correctly and a numb tongue. No pain.

Flashing lights or a flash of sunlight can trigger mine. Being pregnant was great as they stopped completely, so there may be a hormonal element. I'm now on the mirena coil, equivalent to the mini pill, as the migraines meant I can't have a normal pill.

Cleaning chemicals can also set them off for me.

@PragmaticWench did the mirena help? X