by Artisttia Yarns

Created on: June 24, 2009

Your vision is disturbed, but the disturbance is out of one eye only. It appears like you are peering through a pane of a cracked glass window. This is not the first time it has happened to you. Sometimes when it happens you have a headache, at other times, there is no headache. The question is what is wrong. The answer, you have what is known as an Ophthalmic migraine.

Ophthalmic migraine, sometimes called an ocular migraine, is a little known form of migraine. This type of migraine is known by its characteristic visual disturbances that occur in one eye. Some ophthalmic migraineurs (persons who have migraines) describe the migraine as a 'cracked glass experience'; others describe their visual field as having an enlarging blind spot (scotoma), twinkling lights (scintillations) or distorted vision (metamorphopsia) with wavy or jagged lines.

Doctors do not fully understand the causes of ophthalmic migraines; their supposition is that ophthalmic migraines are caused by the vascular spasms or intermittent constriction in the blood vessels located behind the eyes. This changes the blood flow to the area of the brain that is responsible for vision, problems in the neural pathways or within the brain chemistry.

General Triggers

Dr Jeff McDougall believes ophthalmic migraines are caused by the body's neurologic response to triggers such as medications, hormonal changes, flashing lights or chemicals in foods." Environmental and hormonal factors that may trigger ophthalmic migraines include:

loss of sleep or deviation from normal sleep schedules
premenstrual changes
oral contraceptives
weather or barometric pressure changes
strong perfumes or odors
strobe
flashing or bright lights
Certain foods and beverages (red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, turkey, citrus fruits, nuts, pickled foods.

Stress

Stress is another risk factor associated with ophthalmic migraines. The rationale behind this is that when the body is stressed, it causes changes in the hormones with in the body. These changes in hormones can alter sleep and menstrual patterns, interfere with the fluid balance, and cause mood swings.

Prevention

The best way to keep from having an ophthalmic migraine is to avoid triggers. Each person's has their own individual triggers; however, they can be hard to delineate at times. Try to record any environmental factors, medications, hormonal changes, and levels of stress that are experienced in a journal. Review this journal yourself and with your health care provider. The use of relaxation techniques, rest and meditation, stress-reduction can also help to prevent ophthalmic migraines.

Considerations

Ophthalmic migraines primarily affect the eyes. These migraines can last 15 minutes to several hours. On rare occasions, the visual field may be permanently damaged. As with other types of migraines, the person who experiences this type of migraine is often exhausted at the conclusion of the experience. During the ophthalmic migraine and immediately afterward, rest as been shown to provide some benefit to migraineurs. Ophthalmic migraines can be more dangerous than most people realize as they make people more accident prone due to the visual impairment. Let your physician know if these migraines start to occur more frequently.

Source:
Yarns, Artisttia. How to Causes of Ophthalmic Migraines | eHow.com. (2009, June 12). Retrieved June 23, 2009, from http://www.ehow.com/how_5069877_causes-ophthalmic-mi graines.html

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