[Closed] Oh Nuts, Not Again- Visual Migraines

Yeah, I get the fractals.

I get more, interestingly, when I'm on a low carb diet.

Got my first one in a lesson at school many years ago, thought I was dying or something.

My mum gets them too.

I had a couple, years ago. No idea why they happened, no idea why they went away. Very disconcerting the first time - although I'm a doctor and it was fascinating to observe something that's very difficult to imagine.

I find screen use brings it on, glasses and eye test did not fix it.
I knwo when thye are coming and just avoid the screen if I can.

ocular migraines are pretty common I think. I get them infrequently. No idea what causes them though

No idea what causes them though

Have you considered dehydration?

Yup - Ocular Migraines

Optician said it was part and parcel of using a screen - I get a wave that travels over my eye, like distortion and a pain in the side of my head. Usually lasts about 10 minutes. I go get a cuppa and a sit down until it passes

I could probably mitigate them by drinking more water

I have suffered with them for several years.

When they start I tend to get bright white spots in vision when looking at anything bright, then after a while my vision goes blurry, best description of that is its like having water running down your eye. Can take from 10 minutes to a hour to clear. And then I get really bad headaches afterwards.

They seemed to go away for a few years, i prevously thought it was all related to stress and my old job, as they stopped when I started my current job about 3 years ago. But then I had a few at the end of last year.

The last few times it happened is when I've not drank enough water or had too much coffee. So it's mainly decaf coffee I drink now. And try to drink plenty of water through the day.

ooo me too! 3 times now, all quite disconcerting.

Last one about 2 months ago whilst walking my daughter to school. I had to sit down on a bench and ask another parent to take my daughter to school because I couldn't see the kaleidoscope effect was so bad!
That one lasted over an hour and I was a bit shaken up at first.

started getting them after my 2nd jab last year. They would come on about 12 hours after eating cheese, and gave me about 2 hours of visual weirdness, then about 6 hours of just generally feeling very ill.

After about 4 months I started tentatively trying to reintroduce small amounts of cheese to my diet, but they've never come back. Very odd...

Yep i get them, haven't had one for a while, generally screen use and dehydration does it for me.

Like you say more annoying than anything else, i once got one when playing a mate at snooker, i couldnt see the cue ball to hit it, usually last 15-30 minutes for me.

Yep, i get them from time to time.
First one was whilst i was driving home from work - felt like i was looking through broken glass - Thought i was having a stroke.

Mine are followed by a headache and upset stomach the following day.

I've worked out the triggers for me are lack of sleep, dehydration or too much caffeine.

I discussed this with the optician last year, he said they're caused by your brain releasing a chemical to combat stress, which interrupts the flow of information from eye to brain.
He reckons as soon as you feel it coming on - drink a couple of glasses of water as the additional hydration would help disperse the chemical more quickly.

I have had them after what my partner calls my “peering” e.g. close work looking over my glasses. A change of prescription for my specs ( bigger difference between distance and close sections of my varifocals) and the purchase of a headband magnifier for close work has mostly resolved the issue.
Proper Scary when it first happened though

I used to get headache migraines a long time ago. They were often preceded by visual artefacts - blobs of colour floating over and tinting my vision.

I still get ocular migraines but mercifully without the follow-up pain. They are usually bright lines/geometric patterns over the centre of my vision. I didn't realise that they were a type of migraine until relatively recently.

I get migraine aura infrequently. Everytime it's been after vigorous exercise, usually football. Not pleasant and scary the first time and I had no idea what was going on.

I get them. Too much screen time seems to trigger them for me. A glass of water + paracetamol helps clear them.

Yes, scary when driving. I used to drive lots for work, and a few times had to pull over and wait for it to clear.

I had my first one last year while test driving a car on the farm drive. It scared the bejezus out of me till I googled it and realised what it was. Have since had a thorough eye test and have been assured it is all OK. Had a couple of headache migraines while in Uni 30 years ago but nothing since.

I have aura migraines, properly infrequently, like every few years I will have a cluster of them. No pain at all, lots of visual disturbance, both eyes. Feel out of it, unable to speak clearly or think clearly. Lasts about a half hour. Driving would be impossible or dangerous. Then absolutely knackered and have mostly fallen asleep far longer than usual, like at 3 in the afternoon and gone right through until 9 the next morning.

Tiredness / stress was a common factor. As was, bizarrely, lemonade (maybe a particular artificial sweetener?)

Not had one for a long time, thankfully.

Ocular migraines are different, only one eye affected, can involve pain afterward.

I get them occasionally,though not had one since wearing glasses (doc told me to see optician). Though, I sometimes get the precursor symptoms without the visual disturbance.
Seem potentially triggered by lots of sugar on an empty stomach. And yep, not pleasant when driving - first exit off the motorway and a couple hours sleep in a layby. Generally feel a bit off for 24 hours.

Scary the first few times, frustrating thereafter.

Yeha had some a few years ago but seemed to have stopped, for now any way.

At first it proper shit me up, thought I was going blind. then it happened again and though I'd better get to the optician. they had a really good check and did some non standard stuff but thought it maybe stress related. havne't had any since then so no longer worried.

Very strange when it happens though.

Yep then about 2hrs later the headache kicks in and I feel like shite

Yeah, I get them, same as you no idea why they happen, but sometimes they just do. I basically go about 75% blind for the duration when they are bad. They usually last about half an hour to an hour. Occasionally I can get a very mild headache after maybe 1 out of 10, but nothing some paracetamol can't deal with.

I probably get them about 3 or 4 times a year, though I can go a long time without, and have done for 20+ years They are more an annoyance than anything else.

I haven't had one for over a year now*, and I'm putting that down to getting more sleep, and nearly completely eliminating caffeine from my diet.

* I've now obviously cursed myself and will get one sometime later this afternoon 🙂

Have you considered dehydration?

No i'm pretty hydrated, I've got insipidus, so always have something to drink readily at hand.

I get more, interestingly, when I’m on a low carb diet.

That might have something to do with it. well maybe not exactly, but maybe food related. I'd limited food yesterday, up until about mid day, then nothing till a cheese sandwich at about 10am this morning.

Seem potentially triggered by lots of sugar on an empty stomach.

Thats a distinct possibility 😕

I kind of suspected there might be a dietary link, but never managed to track it enough to work out if there was a direct connection.

mogrim Free Member
I haven’t had one for over a year now*, and I’m putting that down to getting more sleep, and nearly completely eliminating caffeine from my diet.

Interesting, I used to know someone that reckoned that drinking Coca Cola helped mitigate the symptoms when he got migraines. I don't think that he drank much caffeine normally, though.

FWIW it is worth getting them checked out by a doctor. Sadly I know someone who had similar migraines and ended up being diagnosed with a brain tumour. I've seen my doctor on a couple of occasions about them, following my (sadly rather close) experience of the above and they always took my concerns seriously and I never felt fobbed off by them. I'd get it checked by a GP or optician at the very least.

Yep I used to get them with the interaction of fluorescent tubes and the refresh rate flicking of old VDU screens, nowadays too much or too little sleep gives me them. Guess you have to work out your triggers...

used to know someone that reckoned that drinking Coca Cola helped mitigate the symptoms when he got migraines.

I believe that caffeine can both trigger migraines and be used as a treatment for migraine.

IME the best way to fight migraine is to maintain stress levels, migraines are known to occur as a person is unwinding after a stressful situation. Drinking caffeine helps with this as does keeping active. Lying down in a darken room is by far the worse way to deal with migraine IME.

Caffeine also helps to reduce blood flow in the brain which in turn reduces the likelihood of headaches. This I believe is why it is often added to headache medication.

As mentioned above, best to get them checked out to rule out anything nasty. After that, work through triggers on an exclusion basis, (although sometimes, there just aren't an identifiable ones)
Common ones are dairy, chocolate, aspartame, caffeine, alcohol, so that's a good start.

caffeine helps with this as does keeping active. Lying down in a darken room is by far the worse way to deal with migraine IME.

Unfortunately with migraine there are many, many different varieties that respond in different ways. For a lot of people (myself included) lying down in a darkened room (combined with triptans) is the only thing that can make them bearable.
(Ironically, mine are also triggered by exercise as well)
Don't be shy in asking a GP for help, just because they're not the stereotypical 'headache' type, they should still take them seriously.

You have my sympathy though, migraines are total balls.

I get them. The best way I can describe them is that the bottom of my vision looks like I'm viewing everything through water. After a while, my entire vision is like that. I need to completely get my head down in the dark for 20 minutes to reset. If I catch it in time and take Migralieve or similar then that day will be a right off - can't concentrate, feel like crap, but that will be the end of it. If I don't catch it in time, then I'm down for a 3 day headache.
I'm convinced mine are anxiety related.

I feel for you all...my wife suffers from them...her worst lasted 3 weeks, she has tried everything nothing works...on top of that she also get vertigo sometimes the next day....
I just hope there is a cure out there..coz the last 10 years have been hell for her

I get them sometimes, peripheral vision goes all Scooby Doo, paracetamol and a 10 minute chill out sorts them.

A friend messages:

"do me a favour. Don't say its from me. Tell him to try Vitamin D 1,000 iu tablets twice a day"

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31377873/

"I have personal experience of aura migraines."

"I swear by the stuff"

There are quite a few other supplements recommended for migraines. The common ones are Vit B2, Magnesium, and co enzyme q10. 🙂

I really would advise you, and anyone else experiencing symptoms, to go to a GP first, just to rule out the slim chance of it being anything sinister.:)

I have them too, but very infrequently.

I find they are always when I’m using screens and usually when I’ve been a bit stressed.

They started for me when I was in my early twenties, at a time I was buying my first house and I might get one, maybe once a year. Had one in December and made a note of the date on my phone so I can track when they happen. Haven’t had another since. I just have to stop everything, try and remain calm and wait for it to pass. First one I had, I think I prolonged it by panicking.

Been getting them for years. Mine start with a fuzzy, blurred area in my centre of vision, which then starts to show prismatic zigzag lines that gradually expand into a ‘C’-shape, getting larger until it expands outside of my vision completely. It used to leave me with a headache, so I’d take a couple of ibuprofen. Now, because I take Naproxen every day, I avoid any other NSAI’s.

Never been able to pin down a cause, most likely stress-related, although I’ve woken up in the morning with the zigzag ’C’-shape already visible before I’ve even got my eyes open! I’ve had one, the visual disturbance has gone then been followed by another.
Not really debilitating, although if I’m driving and one comes on it’s more than a little distracting!

most likely stress-related, although I’ve woken up in the morning with the zigzag ’C’-shape already visible before I’ve even got my eyes open!

Sleeping can be a stressful experience, hence the high incidence of jaw clenching and teeth grinding during sleep and why some people need to sleep with mouth guards.

It is believed by some that tension in the neck is the root cause of migraines, teeth extractions and mouth guards have apparently cured some people of migraines.

My migraines come on when I've been stressed but then released from it eg delivering important work to tight deadline. I think it's a big dopamine rush that sets it off. It's been bad enough to have been misdiagnosed as a stroke by a junior A&E doctor - but soon corrected by emergency neurology team.

I take Sumatriptan at first indications of migraine - very effective

Yeah I get them once or twice a month now (used to be more like once every 2-3 months), makes me pretty useless when I'm trying to work (no pain thankfully but not having central vision makes it a nightmare reading/writing docs or looking at IT config on screens - which is 99% of my job). So far it only seems to start in the afternoon so I usually struggle with it for an hour then just give up and log out (I'll usually have done my normal hours by then). If it keeps getting more frequent it's going to be an issue 🙁

i get them from time to time, they most look like a mixture of these

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No pain but sometimes really bad nausea, a bit like sea-sickness

I suffer the same, triggers seem to be these days and in no particular order.

Coffee

Dehydration

Too much dairy product.

Usually have a pounding headache the next day all day.