You can't see me, I can cause throbbing pain, I can make you sensitive to light and sound, I can affect your vision temporarily, and I can even choose where I want to be and when — what am I? If you answered "a headache", Bingo!
So A Headache - Isn’t Just A Headache?
Are you aware that there are many types of headaches? The throbbing and annoying pain of a headache can be distressing, and some are far more painful than others, so it’s important to recognize the difference. The team at Healthfully Fabulous wants you to learn about 10 of the most common types of headaches:
According to the World Health Organization, nearly everyone experiences a headache now and then. Although headaches are mainly described as a painful area in your head, causation, symptoms, intensity and duration will vary depending on the type of headache you experience. For example, a chronic ocular migraine, which causes temporary blindness along with the migraine.
What Is A Chronic Ocular Migraine?
Dissimilar to other types of migraines, an ocular migraine can appear with no related head pain. It is also common for someone who is a sufferer to experience many visual symptoms and disturbances.
The term “Ocular Migraine” references various migraine subtypes defined by varied visual problems that may include:
Visual loss
Blind spots
Zig-zag lines
Seeing stars
Although temporary vision loss from ocular migraines can cause quite a scare, it is mostly irritating and resolves on its own within the hour.
Ocular migraines are also known as:
Eye migraines
Ophthalmic migraines
Retinal migraines
Visual migraines
Learn about these subtypes to better understand how they affect vision.
What Are the Types of Ocular Migraines?
Migraine w/ Aura
Migraine with Aura usually has a short duration, and can happen either with a headache or without one, and may include problems with your senses and interfere with your speech and motor skills. It can impair your vision, by causing you to experience light flashes, blind spots, seeing patterns and stars along with other issues with your sight that ultimately go away after a short time. While the most noticeable symptoms are visual disruptions, aura can also affect others.
Retinal Migraine
Retinal Migraine is when you only have symptoms that affect your vision in one eye prior to or during the headache phase of the migraine, and are therefore more intrusive than aura symptoms, including vision lessening, twinkling lights or stars, and temporary vision loss. A complication of Retinal Migraine could include permanent vision loss, so it is important to explain your exact symptoms to your health care provider.
Migraine Subtypes w/ Vision Disturbance?
Migraine aura refers to a result of irregular electrical actions that spread across your cortex slowly at a rate of around 3 mm a minute, and is culpable for visual disturbance when it happens, and normally ends within 20-60 minutes. Also, these electrical actions entail only certain areas of the cortex or outer surface of the brain, and may be caused by reduced blood flow to your retina, or the disturbance can occur in the back of the eye in the retina.
Treating and Preventing Migraine With Aura or Retinal Migraine
There are effective medications that can target your symptoms, like NSAIDs for inflammation and pain, as well as medicines for treating the symptoms of nausea. There are also preventative measures that you can take; such as calcium channel blockers, antiepileptic and tricyclic medications, as well as the cessation of smoking.
Some other drug free options include:
Rest your eyes
Steer clear of harsh and bright lighting
Limit your exposure to direct sunlight.
Remember to take breaks from your computer screen.
As with all types of migraines, do your best to avoid these triggers:
Stress
Dehydration
High altitude
Excessive heat
Low blood sugar
Extended time gazing at a screen
Although symptoms of chronic ocular migraines can be frightening and worrying, oftentimes they are transitory, and more often than not, reversible. In the meantime, take a look at our blog over here.