Migraine: When To Contact Your Eye Doctor

At least 15 to 20 percent of the population and up to 50 percent of women suffer from a common neurological condition known as Migraine.\

Classic migraine starts with visual symptoms (often zigzag lines, colored lights or flashes of light expanding to one side of your vision over 10 to 30 minutes), followed by a single-sided pounding, severe headache.

In ocular migraine people experience flashes of light that look like jagged lines or “heat waves” in both eyes, often lasting 10 to 20 minutes. These types of flashes are usually caused by a spasm of blood vessels in the brain, followed by a headache – a migraine headache.

It is when you experience these jagged lines or heat wave flashes and do not have a headache is when you’re having an ophthalmic migraine and that is when you need to contact your Eye Doctor or Ophthalmologist.

Rare migraine symptoms include double vision, change in lid position (lid droop), or change in pupil size (both smaller and larger). In very rare cases, the visual problems associated with migraine may not entirely disappear. This may be due to a stroke associated with migraine.

Many people who thought their headaches were due to stress, tension or sinus pain may actually have this form of migraine. Common migraine may cause only a headache felt on both sides of the head.

For more details on types of migraine and treatment options you can read the original article published on geteyesmart.org.

Don’t forget if you are in the State of Florida, you can drop in at any 20/20 EyeglassSuperstore® location in OrangeCity, Winter Park or Melbourne for an eye exam by an on-site Independent Optometrist. We look forward to seeing you soon.