Does anyone else here experience "aura migraine" - the visual disturbance without the

[NewHendoLib]

headache?

I've had them on and off for 30 years - first time when I was at bat in a softball game and realized that the ball was obscured by a flashing area. They last about half an hour for me - quite the light show as the zig zag pattern starts at the center of my vision as a small area then moves outward as zig zag colorful flashing pattern, toward my vision periphery - then after about a half hour it is gone.

I just had one that was quite odd - it sent in reverse, started at the edge and moved inward. I went into a bit of a cold sweat as it happened, but now am fine - normal vision, feeling great.

I've asked my eye doc and my regular doc - neither has a whole lot of info - and the Google indicates that they are a bit of a mystery as well, with no clear elevated risk factors of any sort.

Just wanting to compare notes with others that have had there or have them, esp if their docs told them something different, or if you found a way to reduce them, treat them, etc. I do wonder what the trigger is - and if they can ever evolve into an aura with a headache.

[MuseRider]

1. I do now too.

I have had some hard health problems, doing well but this is one thing I wonder about too. I get them fairly frequently. The flashing scotomas are bothersome but they do not last long except sometimes it does take awhile for it to all clear out. No headache. I suffered from very bad migraines for years that I learned to control with biofeedback. I never had scotomas with them but always smelled a very bad smell before and during them. All that is gone but the flashing scotomas have returned without the headache. I had a small stroke after a heart proceedure recently that put me back for a bit but nobody has said anything about that being a part of the reason. I am as clueless as you are. No help here just support.

[NewHendoLib]

44. I really appreciate you sharing that. They really are mystifying

and when I convince myself they are not harmful, they can be quite colorful - and weird!

[MuseRider]

49. Lol

But they sure make it hard to read for a while.

[RazBerryBeret]

2. I have had them in the past

It’s been a few years tho, luckily cause they do freak me out. my doctor called them ocular migraines. A coworker told me they are caused by stress? My worst one was in the middle of a Target store, I got the “curtain” where everything at the top of my vision went dark. It didn’t last long, but it scared the crap out of me. My Doc also said they can turn into the common migraine, but they usually do not.

[NewHendoLib]

43. they are indeed really freaky!

thanks for sharing!

[redwitch]

3. I get them.

Scared me the first time. They seem to come when I am overtired. There is also a mild headache but almost not noticeable.

[NewHendoLib]

42. I'll have to see if I can correlate being overtired. I think mine may have a stress trigger.

got to start keeping a log!

thanks!

[Rebl2]

4. I have

a question. Do they actually turn into a headache? I do have this experience occasionally. It’s almost always my left eye in the center vision, and it is black and grey zigzag lines. Other times it looks like ‘snow’ like you would see on an old tube tv when you have lost the picture. I never have color though. In my left eye I have glaucoma, but it started long before I developed it.

[NewHendoLib]

41. Nope - I've (fortunately) never had a headache. Just the half our light show!

[TigressDem]

5. I was told these are a precursor to the actual migrane.

So what I do when I get them is to put an ice pack on the back of my neck and sometimes on my forehead top of head etc...
moving the second ice pack around.

Because the thought is this gives you some time to pull back, relax and prevent the migraine from happening.

But if in all these years you have never gone to the headache, but they symptoms are prolonged...

https://thejournalofheadacheandpain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s10194-018-0910-y

Prolonged auras are usually associated with hemiplegic migraine
Symptoms

Severe, throbbing pain, often on one side of your head.
A pins-and-needles feeling, often moving from your hand up your arm.
Numbness on one side of your body, which can include your arm, leg, and half of your face.
Weakness or paralysis on one side of your body.
Loss of balance and coordination.



My gut instinct says to have doctors look for anything that would affect only one side of your body.

A spot you got hit from a baseball, maybe a blood clot there.

Any stroke you may have had.

Any blockages on one side of your body.


If you have muscle tension, does it tend to be tighter on right or left side?

Tight muscles block blood flow. Stretching brings the blood back in balance.

[NewHendoLib]

40. thanks - you've given me some things to explore and think about.

[LastDemocratInSC]

6. I have had aural migraines since 2005.

I instantly recognized it the first time because my sister had described them to me. So, there may be a familial connection.

I get a few per year but in times of great stress they are more numerous and on a few occasions I have had them on successive days and even multiple times on the same day. I have also had them at night, the "light show" being sufficient to wake me up.

They are not well understood, as you mentioned. I think a common consensus is that they are due to vascular spasms in the brain but they are also considered harmless. I'm not sure I can square those two things, however - how can a vascular spasm in the brain be harmless?

There are some indications that they can also arise from vascular spasms in the retina of an eye but in my case I always see the aura in both eyes.

I usually get an indication of onset by not being able to read letters / numbers or an area of blindness on the peripheral vision. That, of course, develops into the expanding shimmering effects. If I'm driving I always get off the road until it all settles down. And, if at home, I usually just take a break because I can't see well enough to do anything.

I have never had the other physical effects, such as pain, that can accompany it.

[NewHendoLib]

38. thanks - that describes my experience well. Mine always start dead center of my vision and move

outward - never nausea or a headache. Always interesting to realize some health things remain mysterious!

[SheltieLover]

7. Yes. They are called occular migraines!

If you experience vision loss as a result, they may be retinal migraines.

Mine are caused by nerve problems in neck & upper back?

An osteopathic manipulation can make all the difference to prevent these.

Do you experience a slight sense of nausea with these?

[Rebl2]

13. My BIL

has the type where he experiences poor vision. It’s usually one eye though.

[NewHendoLib]

37. No vision loss, no nausea - just the migrating flashing area, center to peripery.

Pretty colorful - and quite mystifying. I appreciate you sharing your experience.

[SheltieLover]

45. Yw, NHL

[Freddie]

8. Had one the other day

Didn’t last long. Was reading and the bottom of the page got blurry, closed my eyes to see the flashing lights, only in one eye. Had a mild headache a couple hours later I think caused by dropping barometric pressure, my daughter gets those headaches too. Used to get the aura migraine (with headache) a lot more often when I was younger, God bless menopause.

[NewHendoLib]

36. thanks for sharing that.

[Geechie]

9. My SO gets them,

every so often - sometimes a year goes by. He’s been getting them since 1980. His mom got them too, on occasion, also with no pain. My mom got them one time and it was associated with high blood pressure, but that was a different story. But it couldn’t hurt to get your BP checked.

[NewHendoLib]

35. thanks. I typically have low BP. But - I can put some stress on myself!

[Geechie]

39. I heard that!

[2naSalit]

10. I started getting them...

In my childhood, not sure what triggers them. I sometimes get them as a prelude to a headache and they last until the headache is gone.

What I see is more like a GIF of my iris, illuminated in kind of psychedelic colors, as it appears to grow larger then snaps back to the smaller size over and over again. I don't get the migraine headaches anymore but the visual thing is common. When I was in my twenties and thirties I would occasionally get this thing that was like golden sparkling teevee "snow" but I would also get woozy and have to sit down until it passed within 10 - 20 seconds. They went away a long time ago.

When I get the iris looking thing now, I just rest my body, mind and eyes for about a half hour and that works, drink water.

[NewHendoLib]

34. thanks. I like your analogy - a psychedelic iris. Fits perfectly.

[tetedur]

11. When I had my first I fainted

(didn't know what was happening and well my mind just takes off). hahahaha

I was probably dehydrated. I had had some wine the night before. I had probably eaten grapes and raisins the day before as snacks. Probably had cheese with the wine. etc.

Anyway, everything I had would contain tyramine.

https://eyexan.com/foods-cause-ocular-migraines/

I learned my lesson and don't overdose on all that kind of food anymore and have never experienced an ocular migraine like that first one again.

[NewHendoLib]

33. really interesting - thanks for sharing that.

[lamp_shade]

12. Yes. Pretty much as you describe. Dr. called it ocular migraine. No pain. Has been

happening for 15 years or so (I'm 76), average occurrence about once every couple of months.

[NewHendoLib]

32. thanks. I've decided I need to start logging them to assess the frequency - and any possible trigger

[SheltieLover]

46. Great idea!

Mine are triggered by anything I do using my arms.

When I was driving a lot for work, even walking a short distance would cause symptoms to occur.

[gblady]

14. I've been having them

Occasionally for the past couple years. They usually come on suddenly, increasing in intensity, and after about 30 minutes, leave as suddenly as they arrive. No headache. I did have eye pain once after a particularly intense one. Have discussed with both primary and eye docs. They seem to be a mystery to the medical people as to cause and why. Mine are usually in evening, I just rest until it goes away.

[NewHendoLib]

31. thanks for sharing this.

[DelMar dem]

15. Yes

I've had them infrequently for years. Sometimes followed by a headache, sometimes not. At first, it was frightening, but now that I know what they are I just lie down, in a dark place if possible. It usually takes 20 - 30 minutes for them to go away. Luckily, I've never had one occur while I've been driving.

[NewHendoLib]

30. I've not either. I am thankful I've never had the headache.

thanks for sharing your experience.

[Nanuke]

16. Yes. I have them.

Always followed by a migraine headache. First time it happened at school in 8th grade. Couldn’t see out of one eye because of the zig zag flashing. School nurse said the blurred vision was because I wore mascara. Then I lay down and threw up. Called parent to come get me.

This continued regularly through my adult life. I learned that MSG and red wine were often a trigger so I eliminated those elements. Too many times I would have to be driven home from dining out when this happened.

I finally tried taking a very strong antihistamine the minute the aura starts. It keeps me from getting the headache after the aura. I never leave the house without an antihistamine with me.

Good news is that they have tapered off dramatically once I got older (after 50). Only happens 2-3 x per year now.

[NewHendoLib]

29. thanks for sharing that - and the antihistamine idea!

I will give that a try.

[luvs2sing]

17. Started getting them in 2013.

That was the summer my husband was really sick. For several months, he needed total care, and it was awful for both of us. I have a history of migraines going back to when I was seven years old. I still recall the first one. When I woke up early that morning in 2013, sat up in bed, and got all these zigzagging lines in my vision, I muttered to myself, “Fucking great. Now I’ve got a fucking brain tumor.”

I started having them a few times a week. Only once or twice did they turn into an actual migraine, but I always felt tired after they went away. Doctor told me what they were and said they would probably go away as Hubster recovered and our lives got back to normal. He also recommended I start getting massages, which I did. Slowly, over a couple months, they went away.

For about five years, I would have one every few months. I was keeping a log on my phone. Looking at it now, I see I haven’t had one since 2018. Stress was the cause of all of them.

[NewHendoLib]

28. thanks for this - I tend to put stress on myself - and will definitely start keeping a log

so I can try to see if I can find the trigger and assess the frequency.

[Warpy]

18. They're also called ocular migraines and I get them

Sometimes they turn into the real thing and sometimes they don't. Mostly they don't.

Typically they last for 20 minutes to half an hour. They're annoying because my ordinarily bad vision gets really, really bad as part of my visual field is covered in white and black jagged lines. Mine start at the bottom and slowly move up. Everybody is a little different.

Since I can't read or play computer games for the duration, I just rest until they go away. Regular migraines last hoursand are nasty. These are just a nuisance.

[NewHendoLib]

27. thanks for sharing your experience.

I should actually log mine to get a sense of the frequency. I've yet to get a headache with mine (fortunately!)

[WmChris]

19. Yes

Mine started when I was about 63. They appear as a c shaped cluster of small bright dots connected br a bright string. My eye doctor also told me not to be to concerned. They seem to abate after 20 - 20 minutes. I'm 75 now and they appear once or twice a month causing little or no real problem.

[NewHendoLib]

26. appreciate you sharing - thanks!

[WVGIRL]

20. Yes! Had them for years!

This is the only thing that has helped me avoid the aura/migraine headaches

https://www.healthline.com/health/histamine-intolerance

I know this is my problem because when I’m eating Foods with histamine I’ll get a headache and when I am not eating many foods with histamine, I don’t get a headache. I think that this is the key.
I don’t get the headache immediately, I get the headache after some days of eating high histamine foods.

[NewHendoLib]

25. interesting about this histamine rich foods - thanks. I will check into that.

[leighbythesea2]

21. I get them

Ocular migraines.
Started 5 years ago. Not very often thankfully. Mine look like a baseball has been thrown at glass, with fractured shards in a circular pattern, colors and a dark spot in the middle. Precedes the headache portion. Trigger in my case is lack of sleep, stress and a lot of staring at computer screen. (Masters degree/college work to a tee). I’m glad you don’t get the headache part! Once I understood what it was I had a real desire to try to draw or paint what it looks like. So it’s interesting to read peoples descriptions here.

[NewHendoLib]

24. Thanks - I also want to try to capture what it looks like - but that shimmering and the colors!

I think you helped me re the trigger - I use my laptop a lot, and my phone a lot, so lots of screen time - and I actually put stress on myself (kind of a perfectionist!)

thanks for your comments!

[leighbythesea2]

51. Good luck

I hope you can mitigate the amount of them.
“Progress not perfection” was a great help for me, a former manager said it—on a deadline.
Lot of screen time for my job, and sometimes a lot of hours. It’s when the sleep schedule starts getting erratic, ——-that’s the tipping point for mine. I should’ve known, as proper sleep is everything!

[2naSalit]

47. I went through grad school...

With recurring migraines that got worse over time. I ended up having to carry a self injector as they would hit me so fast that I didn't have time to deal with taking a pill for them. They were related to peri-menopause but I wasn't 40 yet. It was horrible. I don't get the headaches anymore but the visual thing happens on occasion.

The tell-tale sign that a headache was coming on was the visual thing. I call it the inside of my iris lighting up in psychedelic colors with a pulsating animation like a GIF, aside from it becoming too bright to see, eventually.

Shards of glass is a good description too.

[leighbythesea2]

50. Glad to hear you don't get them

Anymore! Did you get them in class? Because part of my studies were over covid, I’d get them in class but it was virtual, so I could make sure my camera was off, and just try to listen—until I had to sign off. Cannot imagine being in the middle of campus, in classroom.!

[2naSalit]

53. Often.

I hated when I was in a complex computer program (GIS) and I would suddenly realize I couldn't think in a structured fashion, then I would get the visual. By the time I was able to sign out of a specialized lab and out the door, I was already in big trouble, nausea meant I couldn't ingest the meds, I'd need a shot. Getting to the clinic across campus wasn't fun either. The blessing was that migraine patients were admitted immediately and treated. I was a regular, I'd call ahead. It was rather desperate at times, like when I didn't have an injector and it was after hours for the clinic. ER was too costly for a student. And they were always a thing during exams.

[leighbythesea2]

54. That sounds like

Pure hell. Glad they prioritized you at the clinic. ER bills, no way. You pushed through! I dropped a semester right after the first few I had, bc right at beginning and could get full refund.
It was before covid & couldn’t imagine stumbling around campus. Was a commuter student and home was hour & 20 mins away. I had to learn more & get a strategy together first!

[consider_this]

22. Yes, just as you describe

I've been getting them for at least 20 years. For a couple years the headache followed, but not since. They even did MRI then, but no cause found. I will say a do feel a little off, kinda a bit out of body, not sure how to describe, for an hour or so afterward.
These start as a blur in the center of vision that slowly becomes what I can best describe as a lit up circular saw blade that expands and expands in size until it moves out of the periphery of the entire eye visual field. That lasts about 30 minutes. I used to get them about every month or two, but now several times per month.
One time only, I had an experience along with it that was something made me think it might have been a TIA because I really had trouble speaking or finding words, and trying to read normal words did not make any sense to me even though I could tell they were normal words. Scary!
An interesting thing I read is that some postulate that Van Gogh suffered from these visual aura migraine s, giving rise to some of his artistic styling - who knows!?

[NewHendoLib]

23. thanks for your response.

I actually had what you describe happen to me but I think it was because I was a bit freaked that it was different than typical. My wife asked me a question and it took me some time to come up with the answer, but I think I was just in my cold sweat and my mind was elsewhere!

I've never had a headache with mine - but I do feel a bit odd after some of them.

Appreciate your sharing!

[leighbythesea2]

52. The part about Van Gogh

That is super interesting! Maybe he did have them and did try to capture it.

[SheltieLover]

48. Another possible trigger

If you read a lot, looking down at book in lap or phone in hand resting in lap can definitely trigger mine.

[Demovictory9]

55. Mine seems triggered by too much time on computer

[SheltieLover]

56. Could be the screen refreshing (visual) or angle you look at screen

Height of desk / chair, etc.

[Demovictory9]

57. Not sure.. started about 5 years ago. Went to optometrist thinking it was my eyes..he knew immediate

What I was describing "like looking thru bottom o drinking glass". Said he gets them too and it's a brain thing not an eye thing. And explained it's like what migraine sufferesuffere

I had a flurry of them then it tapered off.. now get them every few months

[XanaDUer2]

58. I get optical migraines, very scary

Happened 2 times, so far. Flashing zigzag lights moving around. No headache. I have to lie down until it passes.