Ocular Migraine? Zigzag Circles
May 15, 2014
Each day for the past three days I experienced a little disturbance in the middle of my vision which developed into a jagged zig-zaggy circle that eventually extended outwards and within 30 minutes it had disappeared.
I had something like this a couple of times in the past and the optometrist said "ocular migraine" and there was nothing to do for it but to let it pass and if I was driving just pull over.
So, for the past three days in a row I have gotten one of these all of a sudden. The visual disturbance goes away with 30 minutes, but now I get a headache afterwards. It is not a nauseating, leave work, drop everything type of headache, but it still thumps and on each time it was thumping in a different location on my head. It lasts about 3-4 hours, although last night it was longer. I still have a "heavy head" today but no flashes of light so far.
I have been researching and do you think I may have (rather than a ocular migraine), a classic migraine with aura? That may be stretching it. I am at a loss.
I can't get in to see a doctor for 5 weeks and my ophthalmologist is not available either. My only choice is the ER to hope they have an eye doctor on call. A general doctor won't even touch this here.
Please, I'm getting desperate and scared. What do you think it could be? By the way I forgot to mention , the lights I see are in both eyes, not just one.
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This has happened a few times and usually it comes and goes. I can have a few in the matter of a couple weeks and then not have it happen for a couple of months and then it rarely appear again. The first time it happened was after a big exam and I started having trouble focusing in class and then gradually a blind spot appeared in my central vision. It then became bright a multi-colored zig zag half circle in my peripheral vision and lasted about twenty minutes before floating out of my peripheral. There was no pain and no other symptoms rather than the visual distortion and I was completely panicked by the whole thing. I have noticed that it comes on during stressful times..and sometimes it will be just random. Because there is no pain I'm wondering if this is possibly an ocular migraine?... as opposed to a migraine aura. The weird thing is, is that I've never had an actual migraine with pain but my mom gets them so maybe family history could come into play. I've seen a NP about this but she was confused by it and just referred me to a neuro and said I would probably need a CT or MRI. She told me that ocular migraines always occur with pain but from what I have researched this isn't true. I currently don't have insurance so I probably won't be going to the neuro. I also take birth control so now I'm freaked out about the whole stroke thing but she assured me that I should continue (young age no other health issues). I was just wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this without the pain? and from experience is it dangerous or something to seriously be worried about?
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I am 46 and have just started having these strange migraines, the first time I had one a couple of weeks ago , I thought I was having a stroke, saw flashing lights and zigzags and things were distorted like looking through broken glass but only one eye, that lasted about 15 mins then I felt sick and then I had a bad head which lasted a few hours , I went to the opticians who checked my eyes and said they were fine and then went to the GP who didn't even examine me just said these are ocular migraines, I have had two more this week, has anyone else had these or similar.
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I've had migraines throughout my life. Mine really peeked in my early 40s going through peri menopause they would be 3 days long. Now the painful migraines have gotten so much better and shorter. I also use Imitrex as needed.
I would also get an Ocular Migraine (visual disturbances such a bright zig zag lines, vibrating bright lines in vision) about every 4-5 years. They were checked out the first time and the doc said they were not harmful.
Recently my dog decided to put me on Atenolol to prevent migraines. After 3 days of being on them I started to have the Ocular Migraines every single day now! I've never had that happen. The Atenolol has stopped the painful migraines completely but I don't think I can handle something like an LSD trip every single day. This doesn't seem right. My doc doesn't think it's causing it but suggested I go off of it to see.
Anyone else with Ocular migraines?
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I'm wondering if anyone has this condition if they have found vit b12 injections have helped their symptoms of ocular migraine
I was getting shimmering most mornings when I woke and sometimes going from light to dark or dark to light and occasionally zigzags and even blank bits! Dr said it was probably ocular migraines.
I have just finished my loading dose and they have improved significantly.
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In my jaw, it can sometimes be painful which seems to trigger neck pain and a headache that covers specifically the right side of my neck, the upper right-middle part of my head, and pressure on the right side of my face behind and under my right eye. My vision then goes blurry/hazy. On a side note, sometimes my jaw on the ride side makes a crackling noise when I open it slowly and focus on the area.
My symptoms started about 4 years ago when I woke up one morning to find that the vision in my right eye was blurred. The symptom would occur at random, day and night. I've seen multiple optometrists, an ophthalmologist, a general physician and a neurologist and no would has found anything wrong as of yet. I have found a few things though. (posting more below as i've run out of characters)
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Is anyone else experiencing ocular migraines and how frequently do they occur? My eye doctor wants me to have an MRI and my medical doctor prescribed propranolol.
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This is just a post to ease some peoples worries as i was very worried when this happened to me. I'm male 23 and i've been having ocular migraine on and off since i was about 15. normally i just got the usual aura in my right eye which went after about an hour and then i just got a long dull headache, not that painful, just making me feel run down and tired. But my most recent migraine was different: had the aura, then the headache, but i was left with a small shimmer across my right eye which would not got away! waited a few days, then went the optician who said there was nothing visibly wrong with my eye. i then went to my gp who told be to go to eye casualty as soon as poss, which scared me a lot! went to eye casualty and was again told there was nothing wrong with my eye and they did not know what it could be but it was too early for a brain scan and they hoped it would go away or i may have to live with it! basically i was fobbed off. this was now a week in and my eye still had this annoying shimmer across it. so i decided to wait another week. after two weeks in it eventually began to fade and now after 3 weeks in my site is back to normal. So if this happens to you, don't worry, it can happen and although it is not the norm for ocular migraines it is obviously some sort of side effect. hope this helps others to ease their worries and not to think the worst all the time like me!
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Last week I had my first ocular migraine. I was sitting on my phone and noticed a small flashing dot in the center of my vision. It was like when you look at something bright then look away. I thought it was from starring at my phone to long. So I got up, and tried calming down. I tried texting my husband and noticed there were missing letters that I could not see. I also had these blurry lines running across my vision. I called 911 and had a massive panic attack thinking I was having a stroke or going blind. By the time they got to my house they had gone away. I also went outside to get air, and came back inside and that made it 100x worse. My entire peripheral vision was flashing. Anyways they ran blood work, ekg and monitored my heart for two hours. Diagnosed ocular migraine and he told me the first one is always scary and nothing to worry about. ( I see my regular dr tomorrow) Now I am having insane anxiety thinking something is really wrong like I am gonna go blind, have another attack or I have a brain tumor. I am terrified of getting another one of these. I don't even want to leave my house in case it happens and I am alone. Can anyone help alleviate some of this fear for me? I am going mad concentrating on my vision 24.7
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I have had silent migraines 24 years.. and recently had the first ocular one. With no warning, went blind for a few seconds, twice in ten minutes. The doctor confirmed it was not a stroke, ''just ocular migraine''. For most people, if the temporary blindness recurs, does the the time of the blindness usually last longer than a few seconds or for most people, does it stay at a few seconds? I am in my seventies.
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I’m of Scandinavian and Scottish descent and have extremely fair skin along with blue eyes and blonde, almost white hair. I’ve always had dark circles under my eyes, since I was a little girl. These circles under my eyes, or “bags” if you like (though they aren’t actual eyes) really make me self-conscious. What can I do?Nope — the dark circles aren’t there because I’m tired. I get get eight hours sleep and then some, nearly every night. Don’t even mention that, please. I had a teacher tell my mom she should send me to bed earlier when I was nine or so and I still get people ask me whether I had a late night, all the time. (Constantly being asked whether I’m tired is a huge reason I’m beyond fed up with my circles.)I’m also not anemic. I was checked for iron-deficiency anemia recently and my blood work came back great. Touch eclat covers my circles up quite well, but I’d rather get rid of them once and for all with natural means, so without putting makeup on such a sensitive area of my skin all the time.One more thing — when you look at the skin under my eyes, you can see tiny little veins.
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The increased pigmentation under my eyes is making me look tired all the time. My sister recently told me that it's possible to bleach your undereye circles for a fresher, more youthful look and I am extremely interested in this. Is there anyone who has done this or at least knows a bit about bleaching your undereye circles? I'd like to know 1) how much it costs, 2) does it really work, 3) how long it takes, 4) where do I go for this and 5) is it painful to bleach your undereye circles and are there any side effects.
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I always have some level of darkness under my eyes (who doesn't?) but this is beyond a normal dark circle and it's only present under one eye. In photos, it looks like someone punched me in the eye. This has been present for years so it isn't going away naturally. Could some kind of injury / trauma / medical condition be causing this? Should I see a specialist -- if so, what sort would be most appropriate?
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I never suffered from migraine attacks until I was in my mid-40's.
They seemed to be linked to the beginning of hormonal changes related to the start of menopause. I would get a pain over my left eye (usually, though right occasionally), with a feeling of nausea and sometimes slight numb feeling on the side of my face. I would turn quite a pale white colour, and also feel very tired, yawning a lot. I would take medication, migraleve tablets and lay down in a darkened room. Usually, I would recover within 24 hours, though I would feel 'worn out' for a few days after the attack.
Since I have discovered by self analysis, that citrus fruits, especially orange juice (which I no longer drink), chocolate and strong coffee all seem to be triggers, which I try to avoid.
For the last five years, I have been clear of migraines, but have now started to get them again. I have passed the menopause but have had a lot of stress in my life recently, so I wonder if this is the cause of the recurrence? My last attack was quite different from the others I have experienced, in that I was feeling fine (though had been really tired the day before for no apparent reason) when I suddenly developed black zigzag lines across my left eye (very frightening at first). These went on for about 10 minutes and then slowly I developed a severe migraine, though this was not over one particular eye, but both. I had feelings of nausea and also felt cold at times. I took Migraleve pink and yellow but the headache is still persisting the next day. I wonder why I developed these other symptoms of visual disturbance. Can stress really do this to your body?!
PS I know there is a family history of migraine.
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I had classic migraines through my teenage years which stopped for a couple of years before continuing at on average one every couple of months with the odd instance of a back to back cluster of 3-10 at once. They were always the same 20 minute aura then axe in the head pain and repeated vomiting for 6 hours followed by a 24hr hangover. Over the years I have tried all preventers with only Epilim and Topiramate working for 18 months. I built up tolerance to Epilim and Topiramate gave me side effects that ended in a blood disorder so cannot take either any more. Beta blockers and antidepressants never worked and Lisinopril was also a short lived waste of time. The only triptan that ever worked was Maxalt rizatriptan but again it lost its effect after 6 months. Something weird has now happened and I wonder if others have had this? I am now 36 and in the last 6 months my migraines have totally changed. I still get the aura but if I take Express Nurofen and an anti sickness tablet straight away or use a heat pack on the back of the neck no pain or sickness comes just 6 hours of extreme tiredness. I always used to throw up any tablets so this is a miracle however the frequency has stepped up to between 5 and 20 a month so it is really impacting on my life. I have had an MRI and all is normal. I have also tried supplements and alternative therapies with no success. Botox and nerve blockers are the next suggestion but will they treat this scenario if there is no pain? Will it stop the aura too and prevent the whole episode? Help!
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For the first time in a very long time, I'm finally in a good enough place to make the step in coming off my Anti-depressant. I've been on Mirtazapine 45mg for the last 4/5 years and before that a string of various of medications.
Despite my anxiety been kind of excessive at the moment, after a discussion with my GP, he was happy to let me begin tapering down the dose. The problem is with my anxiety I feel it mainly physically rather than mentally so it makes me a little oversensitive to any changes that take place in my body.
I guess what I am searching for is some reassurance so I can stop driving myself up the wall, exhausting google search on mirtazapine withdrawal. 6 nights ago I started my first reduction so 45 mg to 30mg. In all honesty it's not been that bad, a few waves of nausea, headaches and random aches and pains. Those I was expecting so don't mind too much. The trouble is that for the last 3 days, I've found myself a little short of breath for most of the day. It's nothing that's outwardly noticeable at the moment, but it's there and is slightly concerning. Has anyone else experienced this when tapering?
I'm kind of freaked out a little because one of my fears that's arisen since the mirtazapine is the that i will develop random allergies and my brain is wondering if I've suddenly developed an allergy to my meds (ridiculous, I know!) The other thing is that the rest of my family has had either viral chest problems lately so maybe I've just picked up that and it's a coincidence? Or it could just be the anxiety.
I'm totally spinning myself in circles at the moment so any wise words are most welcome at this point. If I know it is just withdrawal and nothing that can actually hurt me then I'm fine with whatever effects it throws at me.
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I have rosacea and now have been told I have ocular rosacea. Also have allergies particularly affecting my eyes. Anyone else have this? Use cream on face but eyes are bothersome. Not sure what drops to use . My Dr has prescribed Pataday but they are not covered by insurance so would like to try otc drops if I can find ones that help.
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I am a healthy 52 year old man and just had my annual eye exam. The ocular pressure in BOTH my eyes is 19. I know the range is 10-21, but 19 is on the
high side of the range. Should I even be remotely concerned?
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A year or so ago it got picked up via an eye test and then in referral to hospital that i have ocular hypertension. And was given some Latanoprost eye drops.
The only reason I went opticians was because of headaches and eyes hurting.
Im due to go back to the consultant in December. For the majority of the time I suffer with headaches, with an almost tired/drained feeling and my eyes are either tight or dry. I put the drops in just because I go to sleep, when i wake up, my eyes are so dry and blinking doesn't help, I do have some moisturizing eyes drops.
I thought there were no symptoms of ocular hypertension? Are the headaches due to the eye issues? i work in an office with a computer, spreadsheets, numbers etc and I struggle most days. My problems usually aren't as bad at home, however it can takes weeks before I have no headaches and then they are back quickly.
I don't know what to do, It stresses me out if works making my condition worse, then I can't stand to be stuck in the office all day and be in pain, then i'm annoyed and unhappy before I go back to work knowing its a vicious circle
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I was diagnosed with ocular rosacea and rosacea type 1 last week and have just started antibiotics. I've never had either before. I have no idea how long it's going to take to improve but I wondered if someone who is further along the track could tell me. Does the ocular difficulty come in bursts and go, or is it persistent until it goes. Also, if it goes do you wear eye makeup (girls?)or are those days over for me?
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I am absolutely discouraged, and distraught, with the progression of my disease. I was diagnosed with orbital pseudotumor/myositis in November 2012 at the age of 42. I have been on a high dose steroid since, had several surgeries, have seen physicians at Bascom Palmer in Miami and Mayo Clinic in Rochester. I have been on CellCept, methotrexate, Humira, Enbrel, Remicade, Rituxan, and have just completed 6 months of chemotherapy. I underwent radiation, retro and peribulbar steroid injections as well as steroid infusion. I lost my job and I'm unable to work. I also lost my license to drive, and now receive services through the division of blind services.
I am at a loss for words as to why this disease cannot be controlled, or cured.
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