Ocular migraine?

[Aimee1875]

Last night I did not have a great sleep, maybe 3 hours if anything. I get up for work at 4.40am so I was absolutely knackered. Start work at 6am and by about 7 my vision was going weird in my left eye, like a c shaped zig zagged line. I could see it while looking at my phone and at that point I was starting to panic. It got bigger and more prominent and I had to go sit down and had my manager and colleague near me who said it sounded like an eye migraine which I now think is called an ocular migraine. It moved from my centre of vision and slowly moved to the left side to my peripheral vision where I could just see lights twinkling and then it disappeared. This was all in the span of about 20/25 mins. A dull headache came on afterwords and has been about all day but nothing major enough to take tablets. Does anyone have any knowledge on this? I’m terrified it’s brain tumour/brain related serious illness and I’m scared it happens again as I’ve only really maybe slightly experienced something similar once before but not as bad. We have really strong bright lights in work and a few people have had similar experience in work and swear it’s these lights. Is this likely?

[ckelley116]

This sounds exactly like my husband’s ocular migraines. He gets visual disturbances for about half an hour, and then he may or may not have actual pain (and if he does, it’s typically a dull pain - not the stabbing migraine pain I get!). He’s had them since he was a teenager (he’s 52 now) and no lasting damage! His are triggered by weather disturbances and lack of sleep, so I would definitely say that’s what you experienced.

[BlueIris]

Classic migraine aura - scary but harmless. I mean, utterly harmless.

Bright lights are a huge trigger for mine, too.

[Aimee1875]

Thanks so much for your replies. I honestly feel so exhausted today more than normal so think it’s really taken it out of me. Hopefully it’s just sleep related as this is a new sleeping pattern from me going from working 7-3am in the morning to getting up at 4.40am for work so think my body is a bit confused right now. My eyes are my biggest anxiety so it’s really shook me up.

[BlueIris]

I know how hard it is to believe, but it's really no big deal. The fatigue can be part of the whole migraine experience, too.

[Virgo77]

Definitely a migraine aura! I’ve had these for around 13 years on and off. The first one was terrifying, I actually called an ambulance because I also get numbness with mine! I saw my doctor and a neurologist, and they confirmed migraine aura. I only ever had one before these started years ago - I was about 11 and was at school and my mum freaked out! I think that’s why I freak out so much more when I get one.

I’m so sorry to hear you experienced this and was scared. It really can be so frightening when you don’t know what it is! I can be fatigued and have brain fog for up to a week after one too.

My daughter is 23, and also gets these occasionally. But since she started working full-time last year, she’s had them more frequent. She had one yesterday at work, and ended up having 3 over the course of the day!! This has really unsettled me as I also can’t control her and make her do all the things that have helped me like avoiding caffeine, avoiding bright lights and too much phone time, getting proper rest and sleep, slowing down, and taking magnesium and vitamin b every single day! These are the things I believe that have helped me.

I hope you feel better and reassured that you’re not alone. Rest up and take a day or two off work if needed x

[Aimee1875]

Hey, thanks for your reply. Really sorry to hear you and your daughter suffer with them, it truly was a scary experience! I’m now constantly looking out for it and I do have a lot of floaters and always have so when I see something in my field of view I’m like omg it’s happening again! I do drink a lot of caffeine and my sleep is abit out of whack at the moment so I’m not surprised. I was taking vitamin b and keep forgetting to take it so I will start again. Just don’t want this to be a regular occurrence! X

[Virgo77]

Oh I hear you! These things stopped me from living life for at least 10 years! I was constantly avoiding triggers, checking my vision, panicking about the next one and all the what ifs, I changed my diet, and wouldn’t even go out or make appointments in the afternoon because this is when they mostly happened. I was absolutely terrified and lost too many years! At one point, I counted how many I had in 365 days, and tried to make logic out of totally changing my life and live half of one, because maybe 10 out of those 365 days were migraines. It just didn’t make sense, but fear is a very debilitating thing. The brain is very clever, and when we fear something, it will lock up the brakes and convince us to do anything because we are in extreme and immediate danger. It’s so important to focus on the things you can control, and all the things you can use as coping strategies, and have these nearby or there for you to connect with each day. Journaling how you feel and what happens when a thought triggers a feeling and then an avoidance behaviour is also extremely empowering. It’s like taking yourself out of the bubble you’re trapped in, and putting it next to you, rather than being attached to it. And of course, also having a good support network and being aware of the scary things we say to ourselves all day - no wonder we are so terrified! I will respond to my scary thoughts with something like, “but what if that doesn’t happen” or “what if I am safe - what if it IS nothing?” and, “maybe it is, maybe it isn’t - I really don’t know anything about that.” You don’t have to believe everything you think, and just because I think it, it never ever means it’s true. Be kind to yourself. You will always cope, and you will always do your absolute best to be safe :) x

[Regencygirl123]

This sounds like a textbook ocular migraine. I have had a few with the sparkling zig zag line (mine are always circular in shape). Mine have always lasted exactly 20 minutes. And then I am fine except for a slih headache. It's an ocular migraine.

[Darksky]

I had my first of these a week or so back. I first noticed a blind spot in my right eye. Then there was the classic sparkling zig zag pattern to the right of my vision. I haven’t got HA fortunately so I am allowed to Google :winks:. NHS site… classic ocular migraines. Lasted about 20 minutes, no pain at all. It was annoying more than anything because the blind spot was right in the middle of the footie pitch on the TV.

[BlueIris]

Beautifully handled, Darksky.

[Carnation]

Yes, I agree with BlueIris. Darksky, you are definitely Mrs Cool. :) I just panicked when I experienced this for the first time. :scared15:

[Darksky]

It’s only because I don’t have HA, I’m nothing special. I can easily imagine how this could freak anyone out. It’s just knowledge and more importantly believing that knowledge.:hugs: