Ocular migraine.. is this normal?

[missrm]

I've had ocular migraines a few times in the last few years. It's like you see a kaleidoscope in front of your eyes. Starts at the bottom and works it's up up your eyes. It's a strange feeling. Never usually get a headache after it.

Today though - one started, lay down and shut my eyes til it passed but once the flashing stopped I had a tremendous headache on the right hand side at my temple. The pain eventually calmed down after a nap and paracetamol. It's still sore though now, like the skin is really tender, feels like I've been struck on the head. Is that what a normal migraine feels like?

Sounds like a full-blown migraine.
I suffer with them and they always start with the ocular signs and nausea and heightened sense of smell and hearing. That lasts about an hour and then the one-sided intense pain begins. They last 4 days usually.

I went through a phase of having these quite often... the ocular migraines part.. the headache bit was quite mild for me but I think sometimes they can be really sore. I worked out that my ocular migraines were triggered by a sudden change in light! I worked indoors (quite dark, not many windows) and would get them in the afternoon, after I had been outside for lunch when it was bright, particularly in winter when the sun feels right in-front of your eyes. ... another time it was after I had opened my curtains at home into really bright light. I wore sunglasses on super bright winter days at lunch and still close my eyes for a second or look down when opening curtains and they have never come back. Just wanted to share incase it was helpful for you 😊

Light changes are definitely a trigger for me too - once had migraine after being out in the snow on a sunny day, and another time at an exercise class outdoors in bright sun.

Mine are triggered by tiredness, stress and/or my monthly hormone cycle. They started while I was at uni, happened sporadically in the intervening years and then happened monthly when I hit my early 40s. I've been taking isoflavones supplements which have really helped.

I get these as well. The very first one I had I was driving down the M6 from the Lake District, and I had to pull over onto the hard shoulder because I couldn't see, and I thought I was having a stroke!!

Mine are triggered by bright sunlight, hormones, and being dehydrated. Sometimes I get the headache afterwards, and sometimes just a weird spaced out feeling.

I get these too! Used to get migraines as a child and in my mid 20s started getting them where my vision would be slightly off and then the wavy lines worked their way across my field of vision. Would disappear after about half an hour but left with a wrung out feeling. Get them pretty infrequently though. Linked to stress, tiredness and hormones.

Thank you so much for all the posts. Feeling less scared now. I was scared I was having a stroke to be honest... google eh! It's really unsettling. Does anything apart from laying down and shutting your eyes take it away?

Yeah I was up a few hours earlier than normal and I was stressing because I couldn't find something and the more I looked the more pissed off I got so that makes total sense! That was mixed in with home schooling and trying to make sure dc didn't burn the house down making his toast!

Still feeling like my scalps really tight at one side and like a headache could erupt again. Will get a good nights sleep and hopefully it's away by the morning. X

That sounds more like aura before a migraine than an ocular migraine. If paracetamol is working for you and you are able to sleep then hopefully you'll feel better.

@RawlinsonEnd

I get these as well. The very first one I had I was driving down the M6 from the Lake District, and I had to pull over onto the hard shoulder because I couldn't see, and I thought I was having a stroke!!

Mine are triggered by bright sunlight, hormones, and being dehydrated. Sometimes I get the headache afterwards, and sometimes just a weird spaced out feeling.

Terrifying!!

The first one I ever had was because I looked into the sun directly whilst driving, luckily it only kicked in after I was in work but I was freaking out, I really thought I was going blind. It lasted about 30 mins and I had no headache afterwards, with normal migraines it's a 3 day job.

I've been looking in my mother tongue for about a year now so I could tell my doctor...

But symptoms are: suddenly my vision "shifts" in one eye, as if part of it is underwater and crackled like the shell of an egg. Sometimes it has expanded when I close my eyes for a few minutes and I get dizzy. Usually very light sensitive afterwards. Is this the same?!

I thought I was going to faint and really freaked out the first time it happened, tbh. Maybe I need a new doctor His reaction was: well, migraines can actually change over time