Occular migraine........anyone had one?

[Pansy]

I have had what is called an occular migraine. This is where the vision is disturbed, but no headache. It's really weird because you get like a rippling effect in your eye (only one eye) which works it way towards the outside edge of the eye and eventually diappears.
I have had this occasionally, over a period of years. Just wondered if anyone else has has one of these.
Today I had one, but now I have a bit of a thick head, not a headache exactly but it feels a bit different...........or is that me just having a panic about it. I also had a really dry mouth and felt wobbly, now I've written this I'm wondering if I'm also dehydrated.

Anyone with any experience of these? I'd be glad to hear from you.

[Shivmarie]

It sounds very much like an epsiode i had a while back. I felt so odd, but no major headpain, just a sort of fullness, my eyes felt like they were on a see saw. It was really strange. x

---------- Post added at 10:32 ---------- Previous post was at 10:31 ----------

oh (im also having the same feelins now but with brain zaps) meh! x

[suki300]

When I was at school, I thought I was going blind because I had one of these, so I was told to make an emergency appointment at the opticians, which i did and i was really surprised when I was told it was a migraine as I had no pain. I have had auras, where you get this wierd vision thing, but later i found the painful headaches came on. I found it happened more when I worked nights and I think it was because of lack of sleep, I just used to go to bed.

A pharmacist said it's because the migraine causes pressure on your optic nerve and that's what causes the funny vision.

[Speranza]

I have a really weird visual disturbance which always scares me as I have damaged retinas and have to be really careful to report anything unusual. I was told mine was visual migraine but it's not typical - it's in both eyes, often happens after I've been in a shower for some reason, and is like tiny, silver Catherine wheels going round and round in my eyes. It lasts anywhere between a few seconds and a few minutes - occasionally persists longer and isn't always in both eyes, but is very often. There is absolutely no associated headache.

I have been very thoroughly checked and it appears to be nothing serious but it throws me, cos I'm always worried it isn't going to stop!

[mummyanxious]

No the last one I had at the beginning of the year I felt the same as you and very thirsty. It wore off a couple of hours later.
I had visual migraines when I was pregnant and mine are most certainly hormonal.
I get a zig zag line in my eye which does exactly what you say, disappears to the corner and then goes.

---------- Post added at 11:02 ---------- Previous post was at 11:01 ----------

Interested in knowing how long yours lasts as mine always seem to be 20 minutes

[sparkle_1979]

Yes me, three times in the last ten yrs or so. It's strange, freaks me out at the time

[Pansy]

Hi all.........thanks for your input.

Mine seem to last about 15-20mins. I have found if I lie down with my legs raised, my head doesn't feel so fuzzy.

I have broken my own rule of checking with Dr.Google (it was the NHS website, so does that count?). It seems that they can be triggered by stress and tiredness, it also mentions dehydration, high blood pressure and over-excercise as possible causes.

It must be at least 6 months since I last had one and I've been trying to work out what triggered it.

Any other sufferers out there?

[DaisyPolly]

I have suffered with these since puberty, I'm now 47. Thankfully I only get 2 or 3 a year.

It starts with what I can only describe as like a streak of lightening in my field of vision in one eye, if at that point I can lay down & shut my eyes for half an hour or so it goes away but if I try to carry on I get a terrible headache I'm then sick and it seems to clear it. Sometimes I get a tingling tongue and feel like I can't speak properly.

It leaves me feeling fuzzy headed and almost a bit disorientated for 24 hrs.

Over the years I've tried to pinpoint a trigger but there doesn't seem to be one. Sometimes I get anxious that I'll have one when I'm somewhere I can't get home & lie down

[Tessar]

I have had the eye disturbance, usually for me it lasts about 30 mins, it moves across both eyes slowly, starts on one side and works it's way across before gradually disappearing. I am usually left with a hefty headache that leaves me sensitive to light for the rest if the day, a nights sleep usually fixes it for me, meanwhile headache tablets have limited effect. Oh the colours I experience can vary brown brown, white, silver to shades of blue.. Indeed the patterns also vary but usually it's stripy and wiggly I'd say. I was scared when the first one happened because I hadn't experiences losing part of my field of vision before. Now, as soon as I realise a tiny patch of my central vision has "gone" I know what is coming, obviously I would rather not experience this but I don't get frightened now as I know it will run its course. I've had them at varying times of day & never pinned down a cause. They are fortunately very infrequent for me too.

---------- Post added at 17:15 ---------- Previous post was at 17:12 ----------

Oh, I meant to say that drinking plenty while this goes on does help me. Any time I have a bad headache I always drink plenty as often, for me, headaches come on because I am dehydrated.
Also there are plenty of times I have thought one of these migraines is coming on but it hasn't. Hormones play a big part with headaches for me though I don't believe these ocular migraines are linked to my hormones, I used to think hunger was a trigger but it isn't always. Perhaps they are "just one of those things".

[Pansy]

Seems to be quite a common thing, but I don't get any different colours just blurring.
I have been thinking hard about what I'd been eating and drinking before it happened. To be honest the day before it happened I had only been picking a food, didn't have a proper meal. I realised that all I drunk the whole of the day before was two cups of tea. I think I must have been well dehydrated. Might have brought it on myself.
I'm not quite so bothered now after reading other's experiences, Tessar might be right, just one of those things.

[xBettyBoopx]

I have been getting these for many many years! Too many to count lol.

I get it in both eyes and it starts with flashing zig zags and when it goes off to the side it becomes like a ripple. I don't get headache either but a thick head. They last about 15 minutes.

Apparently it's caused by a restriction in the blood flow to the eye. It's not harmful or anything, well if it was I certainly wouldn't be here:shrug:

Els
xx