Opthamologist told me migraines are only caused by chocolate, wine and hormones...

[Loupenny25]

I've had migraines for all my adult life, about 5 years ago I discovered I have one slightly long sighted and one slightly short sighted eye (at least this is my understanding of it). Wearing low prescription glasses has helped my migraine frequency and severity, twice the migraines have increased and I've had my eyes retested and prescription adjusted which has helped.

Migraines have ramped up again so booked an eyetest. Before the test the opthamologist asked me why I'd come in and I gave the explanation above.

He then said, "look migraines have nothing to do with glasses or your eyesight, you must be just having headaches. Migraines are caused by three things, chocolate, wine and hormones".

To be honest I was so shocked I didn't really know what to say. I sort of managed a "look my migraines are a big part of my life, I know about migraines, my glasses help my migraines".

He doubled down again on how I was wrong, glasses cannot help migraines only cutting out chocolate and wine will fix a migraine.

We ended up going back and forth 4 times including me saying I think he was over simplifying a complex issue and that my dr disagrees with him. Eventually I said I didn't want to go through my whole migraine history, glasses help ME and would he please just test my eyesight.

He then did the shortest, snappiest and rudest eye test of my life before declaring my eyes were fine and only a "tiiiiiinnyy" change to my prescription. It was like he felt I was faking about my eyesight or something utterly stupid like that.

By the end of it I was literally on the brink of tears (I can't bear confrontation) and left without ordering new glasses as I didn't think he'd actually tested my eyes properly. (But still paid for the test - stupidly to be honest but I thought I was about to cry and just wanted to get out of there).

Now I've come home and put my big girl pants on I want to phone the branch manager (it's a big UK chain) and complain. But I'm struggling to verbalise exactly why the interaction was so wrong/upsetting. I also wonder if he would have told my husband to just cut down on the chocolate and wine!

I would say for me that eye strain doesn't give me migraines, but if I'm getting one it definitely makes it worse.

However I'd also add that I know my triggers (lots of them) and chocolate and wine are not two of them. Hormones are, but the worst ones I get are normally caused by light, especially flickering light.

Various blood clotting disorders and autoimmune conditions have migraine as a symptom.

So he’s wrong as these have nothing to do with hormones, wine or chocolate.

Specsavers at a guess, useless.

I know someone with a gnvq in graphic design who calls himself an opthalmologist in Specsavers. His official job title is "customer services"

😂

Ask him where he got his degree in neurology. DS has migraines and he's 13 and doesn't like chocolate

@Loupenny25 I have exactly the same as you - one long- and one short-sighted eye. I wear glasses and have eye-tests at a local independent shop. I've also had migraines since very, very early childhood - as a pp said, long before wine or chocolate entered the scene. My migraines have been triggered (variously) by red cheese, blackcurrants, lack of food, fluorescent light, lack of sleep, my menstrual cycle, cold and windy weather, hot and oppressive weather….the list goes on.

This rude and obnoxious man should have done his job, politely and efficiently. He didn’t, he treated you appallingly, and you should complain. Please try not to feel upset; HE behaved like an arse and showed he knows nothing about migraines. As a sufferer you’re the expert here.

He's talking utter rubbish. And I'm sorry you had an awful experience.

I saw a leading private neurologist lately and he completely dismissed diet as a cause for me (I don't think it is either), I know mine are stress related not hormonal. I was given beta blockers and I haven't had one since I started them, and they were multiple times a week before.

I think you should write a complaint letter. It's terrible he is giving such misinformed "advice."

I suffer from migraines and one of my worst ones was after consuming quite a lot of high cocoa content chocolate at a chocolate exhibition. It came on before I had even left the place and I struggled to get home.

It took me 30 years to work out that cheese, chocolate and wine did not trigger my migraines (although did contribute to my expanding waistline!) My trigger is weather or more specifically changes in air pressure, either way, more likely if I've not had much sleep.
OP, could you book another test elsewhere? It doesn't sound like you're very confident in your prescription and if the right specs help you, you need them.

yes some of my migraines were caused by hormones, however as ive been on the pill, i neither drink and i don’t eat much chocolate i cant say that’s the cause of mine!
my neurologist also didn’t think wine and chocolate was the cause of mine 🙄
oh and lack of glasses certainly did cause some of mine!

appalling know-nothing mansplaining willy-waving shyster.

So’s mine! I was travel sick as a child, it stopped for a few years in my mid teens, my first migraine was as a 19 year old student nurse and from then onwards I’m an awful traveller (tried absolutely everything) and have been hospitalised with horrendous 5 day migraines twice on top of the ‘normal’ ones.
I take travel sickness tablets even for short journeys now, especially if DH is driving (he’s a good driver but I can’t even go 8 miles to the nearest town without throwing up). More recently twice I’ve had it when I’ve been driving which is scary as was on my own on long journeys and literally vomiting as I tried to find somewhere to stop. Absolutely horrible experience.

As others have said - he is both wrong (my migraines triggered by stress, exhaustion, dehydration - no bloody wine or chocolate in sight!), but more to the point unnecessarily rude and unprofessional actually!

You would be well within your rights to complain.

I’m sorry you have a lot on and are feeling fragile. I can empathise with being upset by medical professionals effectively gaslighting you/denying your experience. It’s very upsetting

Transderm scōp adhesive 'Dots' They are about as good as it gets, for travel sickness...But expect you have tried them.