Geometric patterns in vision

Every couple of years since I was a kid I get geometric patterns of lines flashing black a white and sometimes in different colors. It starts off in a small spot to the right of my visions and over about an hour it progress to cover about half of my vision, and then abruptly disappears. I won't see it again for a year or two.

I can't tell what eye it’s in because if close either eye I can still see it in the others view.

It doesn’t hurt and I don't get a headache or nausea.

Any insight would be appriciated.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Hello dwod,  Nancy T is exactly right. You have symptoms of classical ophthalmic migraine. You can use the search feature on this website. Lots of postings about ophthalmic or optic or eye migraine. You can also use the Google Image search feature and search the same term. It will have multiple pictures of the various forms of "scintillating scotoma".

Nevertheless inform any physician you of having ophthalmic migraine. If you are female it may have a bearing on using oral estrogens. It very important that you not smoke as migraine in its many forms in smokers and to a lesser degree with high  blood pressure or high cholesterol has higher rates of strokes.

If something changes, these get worse, new symptoms appear you need to see ophthalmologist and a neurologist.

JCH III MD Eye Physician & Surgeon

[Nancy T]

Sounds classic for an ocular migraine. (I am not a doctor, but we have lots of migraine experience in our family!)

Headache or other migraine symptoms do NOT necessarily have to accompany an ocular migraine (the visual symptoms you are describing). Migraines can be painless.

I've had several ocular migraines with no headache or other symptoms.

My son used to get the nausea-headache migraines at times; at other times he'd get just this visual aura, with no headache at all. Sometimes just numbness marching up his arm--this was also migraine.

Nancy T.