We all understand the interconnectedness of the organs in our body. If one part of the body suffers, it is likely that other parts of the body at some point will also take the burn. When it comes to vision problems, it isn’t always eye-related. In fact, sometimes, neurological problems like migraine can also trigger them. Usually characterised by severe headaches, migraine is a disorder that unfortunately has no cure, but medical treatments can help manage the condition.
In this article, we delve deep into the effects migraine can have on one’s vision and explore how it can be identified.
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Can Migraine Affect Vision?
According to Dr Pawan Ojha, Director of Neurology, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi, migraine is a neurologic disorder that typically causes severe episodic headaches that may be preceded or accompanied by a variety of visual symptoms.
There are two main types of migraine that can affect the eyes: visual (migraine) aura and retinal migraine.
Retinal migraine specifically affects one eye, causing temporary vision loss or visual disturbances like flashing lights, while migraine with aura can affect both eyes with visual disturbances such as zigzags, blind spots, or blurry vision, often accompanied by a headache.
According to the American Migraine Foundation (AMF), about 25-30% of people with migraine have visual aura symptoms. Aura, in general, refers to a set of sensory disturbances that can precede or accompany a migraine headache. These disturbances can include visual changes, sensory changes, and speech or language problems.
Dr Ojha shares that visual aura is typically scintillating scotomas, a type of visual aura, often described as a blind spot with shimmering, jagged, or wavy edges that can flicker between light and dark.
Signs Your Vision Problems Are A Migraine Attack
While vision problems usually arise due to an eye-related condition or issue, there are ways to tell migraine-related vision problems apart from them.
According to Dr Ojha, vision disturbances due to eye problems come with persistent symptoms such as halos (circles appearing around objects), zig-zag lines, blurred vision, blind spots, or scotomas (dark holes).
On the other hand, migraine aura usually occurs in one-third of patients with migraine and typically causes short-lasting scotomas like wavy lines and shimmering lights followed by black holes in vision expanding over 5-10 minutes, lasting for 5-60 minutes, and followed by a headache within 60 minutes.
“A true aura is usually on one side of the visual field but seen with either eye because it comes from the brain,” the doctor adds.
Other Common Symptoms Of Migraine
To identify migraine-related vision problems, it is important to look at accompanying symptoms. While headaches are a tell-tale sign, other factors to take into consideration are:
- Migraine headaches often occur on one side of the head
- They can range from moderate to severe intensity
- They worsen with physical activity
- Difficulty speaking or confusion
- Aura symptoms usually resolve within an hour
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sensitivity to light (photophobia) and sound (phonophobia)
- Fatigue and irritability
- Mood changes
- Difficulty concentrating
- Neck stiffness
- Increased urination
- Food cravings or loss of appetite
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Management Strategies
“When migraine aura with headache is frequent or severe, your doctor can recommend treatment options like migraine preventive medicines (beta blockers, topiramate, gabapentin, tricyclic antidepressants, magnesium, and riboflavin supplements),” shares Dr Ojha.
He adds, “In migraine aura without headache, low-dose aspirin, calcium channel blockers, etc. might be recommended. Certain lifestyle adjustments, like lowering stress levels, getting adequate sleep, avoiding migraine triggers, and daily exercise and meditation, can go a long way in preventing migraine aura with/without headache.”
When To Consult A Doctor
A detailed evaluation, including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain, is usually necessary for atypical aura (prolonged aura, an aura with abnormal or a lot of features, or an aura with loss of consciousness) to rule out a stroke, brain tumour, or something more complicated and serious. “Stroke usually presents with negative phenomenon (complete loss of vision) instead of positive phenomenon (flashing lights in the eye),” clarifies Dr Ojha, adding that middle-aged people with migraine with aura have a slightly increased risk of stroke.
Therefore, they should be vigilant about blood pressure, cholesterol, and other preventive measures. Other conditions include occipital lobe epilepsy, which causes coloured auras and more complex visual patterns of auras. They can be confirmed with EEG.
Conclusion
Migraine is an extremely uncomfortable condition that has no cure. Treatment usually involves managing the symptoms, which include vision or visual problems. However, before getting there, it is crucial to confirm a migraine diagnosis or a migraine-associated vision problem. For that, a patient will need to consult a medical professional who can provide the best possible management strategies.