Migraines affecting vision: Causes, signs, and remedies
In the realm of neurological conditions, retinal migraine is a lesser-known but significant subtype of migraine. Characterised primarily by transient visual disturbances or visual aura affecting one eye, this condition is more prevalent among young adult females with a history of migraine aura.
Prevalence rates for retinal migraine are not consistently reported, but migraine overall affects approximately 15% of people in the US, with females being affected more frequently than males. Among those with migraine aura, visual symptoms, including ocular manifestations, are experienced in a meaningful subset, impacting about 25-30% of migraine cases.
Common migraine-associated triggers, such as stress, hormonal changes, obesity, diabetes, head injury, and medication overuse, also apply to ocular migraine. Genetic predisposition and specific proposed mechanisms, including vascular dysregulation and endothelial dysfunction affecting retinal blood vessels, also play a role.
Visual symptoms in ocular migraine typically include transient monocular visual loss or scotomas, often reversible and lasting less than an hour. This distinguishes retinal migraine from other migraine-related visual auras that are binocular.
While permanent vision loss is a rare complication of retinal migraine, anyone experiencing vision loss with migraine should seek medical help to check for underlying problems. Treatment for retinal migraine involves pain relief medications, antinausea medications, and preventive medications such as beta-blockers, anticonvulsants, and tricyclic antidepressants.
It is essential to recognise ocular migraine in clinical practice, especially in young females with visual aura symptoms, to guide appropriate diagnosis and management. Hemianopia, the loss of vision in half the visual field, can occur due to a stroke or traumatic brain injury, so it is crucial to differentiate between these conditions.
The United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) suggests treatment for retinal migraine involves pain relief medications and avoiding triggers. People experiencing visual disturbances due to retinal migraine should visit an ophthalmologist to check for eye damage or underlying problems.
It is important to note that retinal migraine and ocular migraine are the same condition. If retinal migraine attacks are not frequent, treatment will be similar to other types of migraine. The diagnosis of retinal migraine does not involve any diagnostic tests and relies on the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) criteria guidelines. A doctor may also consider a person's personal or family history of migraine during the diagnosis process.
- Despite being less known, retinal migraine is a significant subtype of migraine, particularly affecting young adult females with a history of migraine aura.
- Among those with migraine aura, visual symptoms, including ocular manifestations, are experienced by a meaningful subset, impacting about 25-30% of migraine cases, which can be quite naive to ignore.
- Visual symptoms in ocular migraine typically include transient monocular visual loss or scotomas, distinguishing it from other migraine-related visual auras that are binocular.
- While permanent vision loss is rare in retinal migraine, anyone experiencing vision loss with migraine should seek medical help, as it may indicate underlying problems.
- Treatment for retinal migraine involves pain relief medications, antinausea medications, and preventive medications such as beta-blockers, anticonvulsants, and tricyclic antidepressants.
- In clinical practice, recognizing ocular migraine in young females with visual aura symptoms is essential to guide appropriate diagnosis and management, as hemianopia can be caused by a stroke or traumatic brain injury.
- The diagnosis of retinal migraine does not involve any diagnostic tests and relies on the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) criteria guidelines, often considering a person's personal or family history of migraine.
- It's important to understand that retinal migraine and ocular migraine are the same condition, and if attacks are not frequent, treatment will be similar to other types of migraine, emphasizing the importance of science, medical-conditions, health-and-wellness, mental-health, and neurological-disorders awareness.
