Ocular migraines are those that cause vision loss in one eye. They are usually harmless but may be accompanied by a headache. Although the direct cause of ocular migraines is unknown, some environmental factors may play a role in their development. Read on to find ways to combat ocular migraines and learn more about the disease as a whole.<\/p>\n
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Ocular migraines (otherwise known as retinal, ophthalmic, or anterior visual pathway migraines) are visual disturbances in one eye possibly accompanied or followed by a headache<\/strong>. They are more common in adults under the age of 40 who have past histories of headaches<\/a> or other migraine types. Roughly 75% of ocular migraine patients suffer from occasional symptoms [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Ocular migraines are often confused with other types of migraines, such as migraines with aura (acephalgic migraines). What makes ocular migraines different is that they affect only one eye<\/strong> while other types can affect both [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n The visual disturbances that accompany ocular migraine episodes are considered harmless. They usually last for less than 5 minutes, but at times can last up to half an hour. The longest recorded ocular migraine was 7 hours, but even then the patient fully recovered [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Although there are no data about ocular migraines in particular, all types of migraines are more common in women; every 1 in 5 women will have migraines, as opposed to only 1 in 15 men. People of European descent have a higher risk (20%), followed by those of African (16%) and Asian (9%) descent [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Ocular migraines are most common in adults between the ages of 40 to 60, but cases have been reported in children as young as 7 years old. Ocular migraines make up about 7% of all migraines in children [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n People over the age of 50 who start having ocular migraines should see a doctor to check for more serious underlying diseases (such as carotid or heart disease) [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Environmental factors do not contribute to ocular migraines as much as they do to other migraine types. However, the following factors may act as ocular migraine triggers [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n Similarly, the diet plays a smaller role in ocular migraines than in any other migraine types. Nevertheless, overconsumption of alcohol,<\/strong> coffee<\/strong><\/a>, tyramine, monosodium<\/strong> glutamate<\/strong><\/a>, and<\/strong> aspartame<\/strong><\/a> may increase the frequency of ocular migraines [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n It\u2019s still unknown exactly how ocular migraines occur. One possible explanation is \u201cspreading depression<\/a>\u201d, a phenomenon during which a wave of inactivity spreads across the brain, temporarily shutting down areas that were overactive [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Vision loss in ocular migraines may develop from:<\/p>\n In both scenarios, the narrowing of the main eye artery is the main cause of temporary vision loss <\/strong>[R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Hormones may also play a role, especially since ocular migraines are more common in women than in men<\/strong>. In fact, stopping birth control pills can reduce the risk of ocular migraines [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n The following symptoms are commonly associated with ocular migraines. Consult it with your doctor if you experience several of these symptoms for an appropriate diagnosis and treatment.<\/p>\n The main visual symptoms during an ocular migraine, in order of prevalence, are the following [R<\/a>, R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n Often, these symptoms resolve within 30 minutes<\/strong>. A permanent visual loss is very rare [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Pupils may become dilated for seconds to hours after ocular migraines [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Headaches are also common and may happen during, after, and, in rare cases, before the visual loss<\/strong>. They are usually one-sided. It is estimated that 41% of patients get headaches during the visual loss while 25% develop headaches at other times [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Prinzmetal\u2019s angina (chest pain<\/a> due to exercise), and Raynaud\u2019s disease (a condition where parts of the body may feel numb due to reduced blood flow), can occur with ocular migraines [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Complications from ocular migraines are rare. The main ones include:<\/p>\n Ocular migraines are usually temporary and short in duration, so treatment is usually not required<\/strong> if the symptoms are mild and occur with a frequency lower than once per month<\/strong> [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n When migraines happen more often or cause permanent vision loss, it\u2019s important to consult a doctor to determine their cause. In addition to recommending rest until the pain is gone and the vision goes back to normal, doctors will normally prescribe the following drugs to relieve the symptoms:<\/p>\n The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has not been studied for ocular migraines specifically, but they may help relieve the pain. The NSAID drug mainly used is aspirin, which is often combined with other drug treatments [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Aspirin works by decreasing the production of glutamate, which starts and propagates spreading depressions. It also decreases the production of prostaglandin<\/a> [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n In a clinical trial on over 22,000 physicians, 325 mg of aspirin reduced recurrences of migraines by up to 20% [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n The combination of aspirin, caffeine<\/a>, and acetaminophen (Excedrin Migraine) may help in mild cases.<\/p>\n Side effects of aspirin use include stomach bleeding, increased risk of heart attack or stroke, and kidney toxicity. Importantly, aspirin and other painkillers may cause medication-overuse headaches when taken for too long [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Potential negative interactions can come from the concurrent use of blood pressure medications, blood thinners, antidepressants, alcohol, and antirheumatics [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Calcium channel blockers such as nifedipine and verapamil<\/strong> work by reducing sudden contractions of the eye\u2019s arteries, which reduces the release of serotonin and the occurrence of \u201cspreading depressions\u201d [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n In a clinical trial on 9 people suffering from ocular migraines, the use of calcium channel blockers halted all episodes. When the treatment was discontinued, the ocular migraines returned [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Calcium channel blockers have a rapid onset of action. Nifedipine tablets placed under the tongue were able to block ocular migraines within 30 seconds in one patient and within 10 minutes in another <\/strong>[R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Side effects of calcium channel blockers include [R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n It is not advised to take calcium channel blockers with beta-blockers [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Calcium channel blockers are not recommended in people with heart, kidney, and liver failure, low blood pressure, and sick sinus syndrome [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Triptans (such as sumatriptan and rizatriptan) reduce the pain from ocular migraines by blocking pain perception in the brain. However, they may increase the risk of heart disease or stroke and are not recommended in people with a history or risk of these conditions [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n<\/a>Causes of Ocular Migraines<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Symptoms<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Treatment <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/a>1) NSAIDs<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>2) Calcium Channel Blockers<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/a>3) Triptans<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n