eye visual distortions with occasional vertigo, headache, nausea

[bruceb3]

I have had a recurring symptom of having visual distortions to my normal vision that are as if I am looking thru waving glass, brighter dots or lines and moving, changing patterns in areas on the periphery of my visual field. This usually lasts for 10 to 30 minutes and fades. If it lasts or keeps becoming more intense then there is often associated feelings of vertigo, sensitivity to light, headaching or nausea. Sometimes it have become so intense that I needed to lie down in a dark quiet place and cover my closed eyes and try to sleep. I have heard descriptions of symptoms that might be similar as precursors to migraine headaches but I have never had these types of headaches. Since the symptom usually passes so quickly without intensifying I have never had further research and evaluation but I had a brief occurence of this effect this morning and found your web site and wonder if you have any way to related this to a known symptom/disease/affect that could educate me on what my body is doing or needing during these episodes.

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

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[Nancy T]

Headache is NOT necessary for it to be migraine. Sounds like a classic case of migraine, with the light sensitivity, nausea, and dizziness. The visual symptoms you describe and the time course all fit perfectly with migraine.

I had visual migraines but no headache. It's not that uncommon. I was shocked when the doctor said migraine. "But I didn't have a headache!"

Take Dr. Hagan's advice and see an ophthalmologist.

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

The most common possibilities:   migraine variant, ophthalmic or eye migraine,  transient ischemid attacks TIA  finally eye disease.

Use the search feature on this page and look those terms up. There are scores of discussions.

You need to see an eye MD ophthalmologist and tell him/her about these episodes.

JCH MD