A Guide To Ocular Migraine

Ocular migraine is a kind of migraine that affects the eyes and it is also a condition that may or may not be accompanied with headache. Further, this is a problem that can affect one eye at a given point of time and which results in distortion of images and more particularly the distortion begins in the center of the image and it can then become worse – leading perhaps to temporary loss of sight.

Warning Signs

Physicians can interpret ocular migraine in different ways while the patient will notice that they start to experience warning signs (visual) which may or may not be accompanied by headaches. As a person ages chances of their experiencing ocular migraines grow and the whole experience can also actually turn out to be quite terrifying.

Ocular migraine symptoms vary from individual to individual and often these symptoms include seeing lines or patterns that zigzag especially at the periphery of their vision and the condition can also be accompanied by shimmering/colored lights and there may even be loss of vision. What’s more, these symptoms might also be accompanied by severe pain and the patient might also begin to vomit or feel nauseous. The best treatment is rest.

Managing ocular migraine involves avoidance of those factors that might precipitate an attack and in addition it may be necessary to undergo pharmacologic or even prophylactic treatment. When the attack is more acute it is necessary to take rest in a darkened and quiet room till such time as the symptoms subside.

The exact causes of ocular migraine are not known though some factors that might precipitate an onset of the disease include stress, alcohol, premenstrual changes as well as hunger and even use of oral contraceptives. In addition, certain kinds of foods can cause the problem including red wines, aged cheese, chocolates, chicken liver, milk and any meat that has been preserved in nitrate.

Part of the reason why people might develop an ocular migraine condition includes the fact that the blood vessels in the head might be involved. Furthermore, the problem usually begins in the early hours of the morning and even at other times in the day and the pain experienced will be intense as well as gripping and will affect one part of the head after which the pain can spread to the other side of the head.

Ocular migraine stroke is a condition that seems to affect people that have not as yet reached the age of forty and it also is a condition that affects those people that have suffered from hardening of arteries and who may be suffering from epilepsy and lupus. In case, the condition causes temporary impairment of vision it is best to have a doctor diagnose your condition to see whether there is another underlying condition that is at the root of your ocular migraine condition.