optical migraine

[billbob]

Can any one relate. I was diagnosed with pregnancy migrain when i was 20. I have had one or two occular migains without headache for the past 28 years. Never worried me. Jan this year I started getting 3 or 4 a week at the same time i noticed a tremor in my index finger on my right hand which now affects my whole hand. I have been told by neurologist I have a weakness in the right side of my body also a head tremor. He does not think it is parkinsons. I also occasionaly get neuralgia in my head.I get the flashing lights in both eyes but feel my eyesight has been slightly damaged in my right eye with many floaters and black spots. Mri of the brain showed no problem and i have been put on Norytriplene to stop the painless migraine. Can this type of migraine cause all of this if so what type of migraine could it be. There is not to much information out there that I can relate to. Doctors in the uk are all to busy anf I feel I have had no real answers. Thank you

[ali319]

Hello there.  I, too, suffer from occular migraines.  Mine start off as black spots in both eyes, I can't focus on anything because all I see is black.  Sometimes I also get weak in my left arm and get a tremor in my fingers and feel like I can't breathe.  About 20 minutes after the vision changes my pain starts.  If I take a Vicoprofen when the aura starts I can usually stop the horrible pain from coming on.  I still get a headache, but not severe.  Sometimes my visual changes can last for an hour or two before the actual headache and sometimes I don't even get the visual changes and the weakness and numbness. I don't have any real solutions to share, but I wanted you to know that you're not alone.  I haven't seen a neurologist at this point because I can keep them under control before they start.  Good luck!

[thepurselady]

An occular migraine generally presents with a center vision field change such as a blurry spot that then will start to expand.  It is usually one eye but can be both and as the minutes go on the blurry zig zag can expand to the outer part of the visual field until it effects peripheral vision, sometimes white in the peripheral field, sometimes blurry.  Usually within 20 minutes this visual disturbance should subside but in many is followed by a horrible throbbing headache, vommiting and general malaise.

An occular migraine normally will not appear as a darkening of vision or black.  When this happenes it can be more retinal then blood vessel related.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

There is a possibility that you are suffering from a combination of ocular migraine and hemiplegic migraine. Both these type of migraines can occur without headache. Hemiplegic migraine causes weakness, numbness and tingling of one side of the body.
Do you have any family history of this type of migraine?
http://headaches.about.com/od/migrainediseas1/a/hemiplegic_mig.htm