![]() ![]() Patients in whom the visual symptoms are accompanied by a severe headache often benefit from additional therapies. Some patients benefit from other strategies, including eating something, having caffeine, or taking an over-the-counter medication such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (i.e., Advil® or Motrin®). It can be helpful to try to rest during the episode. Once someone has become familiar with the symptoms of a visual migraine, new episodes no longer cause the same level of anxiety. The first few times someone experiences a visual migraine it usually causes a lot of anxiety. What are the acute treatments for migraine?Īn isolated visual migraine, without headache, typically does not require any acute treatment, since the visual symptoms resolve on their own fairly quickly. For many patients with isolated visual migraines, however, the events can be very infrequent and no definite trigger can be determined. These triggers include fatigue, skipping a meal, caffeine withdrawal, stress, and certain foods (including red wine, chocolate, or aged cheese). Many individuals can identify specific triggers for their migraines. ![]() In addition, a person’s hormonal status can affect the pattern of migraines they experience therefore, it is natural for a woman to notice a change in headaches and other migraine symptoms in adolescence or around the time of menopause. Overall, migraines are more common in women than in men. A positive family history is very common, so the doctor will often ask about headaches in one’s parents or siblings. It is often possible to identify certain risk factors that increase the chance of having migraines. Beyond these hypotheses, however, the exact mechanism that triggers a migraine remains unknown. The pain of a migraine headache probably relates to spasm or irritability of blood vessels in the brain, which are sensitive to pain (unlike the brain tissue itself, which does not have pain receptors). It appears likely that the visual aura relates to a phenomenon called “cortical spreading depression” which temporarily affects electrical impulses in the brain. What causes a migraine?Īlthough migraines are extremely common, their exact cause remains unknown. Except for the absence of a headache, the visual symptoms in acephalgic migraine are identical to the episodes that accompany a classic migraine aura. The medical term for this is “acephalgic migraine,” which literally means migraine symptoms without headache. It is actually very common to have a visual migraine without any headache. Can I have a visual migraine without a headache?ĭefinitely. An episode of visual darkness typically requires additional evaluation for other conditions, including a “mini-stroke” (a TIA, or transient ischemic attack). ![]() Migraines are less likely to cause "negative" symptoms of pure visual darkness. ![]() The typical symptoms of a visual migraine are “positive,” meaning that there is something shimmering or sparkling that is disrupting the vision. What are the 'red flags' that my visual symptoms are not due to migraine? The intensity of the headache may range from mild to severe. The headache lasts several hours and is accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. In a typical migraine, a throbbing headache quickly follows the visual symptoms. The area where vision is disrupted is known as a ‘scotoma’ and the whole episode is often referred to as an ‘aura.’ The visual symptoms typically last approximately 20-30 minutes and then completely resolve. The growing spot often has jagged, zig-zag edges. A visual migraine is a temporary visual distortion that often begins with a small sparkling, shimmering area that slowly expands outward. ![]()
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