Visual symptoms for migraine

[johnbarnes]

Hi all, I would be very grateful if anyone could take a look at the symptoms I describe below, I have had them for about the last month and a half, with no change in their severity for better or worse.  I realise my descriptions are quite lengthy, but I thought it better for them to be too detailed rather than too vague.  I've seen my doctor and eye specialist about it with no luck - my eyes are functioning in examinations.

Along with these visual symptoms, I have had headaches mainly in a band above my eyes, but also sometimes spreading around my head to above my ears and the tip of the back of my skull.  The headaches seem to come and go, but I always have a feeling of tension above my eyes, even if it does not ache.  The visual symptoms, however, are constant and regular.  I'm mainly interested to know if any of these visual effects are normal for migraines - I have never had anything like this before so I have no idea.  Thanks to anyone who can give me some insight.

SYMPTOMS
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White afterimage sensation  

Whenever I look upon anything with a clear outline, the most frequent example being text, and then move my gaze even the slightest amount, I see a residual white image on top of whatever now occupies my gaze.  So, when I read the text on say, a poster on a wall, as soon as I move my gaze from the text to a blank area of the poster, I can still see the text, although it is in this bright white writing.  This sensation appears to be most pronounced where the contrast between text and background is greatest, with black text on a white background by far the worst.  The sensation lasts for a good few seconds and happens continuously as I move my eyes and look at different things.  As I say, it is only that text is where it becomes most obvious; it is a problem with my vision in general.
I am unsure whether to call this 'double vision'.  It is not clear to me whether the white image is present all the time, but simply covered up by the coloured text or likewise until I move to an area of background where it can be 'revealed' i.e. that it is always there but I simply can't see it until I move my gaze.  Certainly, it does not seem to me like the two images from each eye struggling to converge, there is a definite 'main' image.  It is more like the bright spot of light that lingers in your vision if you accidentally look directly at the sun, in terms of the general sensation it is quite similar to that.  The afterimage does not stream, or bleed like a sparkler on bonfire night, but it has that same feeling of being temporarily burned into the image until it fades.

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Strange dark/light 'shadowy' vision

My vision also seems to have some kind of interference, in that despite the image itself being clear, it is somewhat 'shadowy'.  It's difficult to tell, but this may be in part due to all the relics of previous images getting in the way of one another due to the 'afterimage' problem I described above.  It is as if there is an overriding darkness about my vision, made up of many tiny patches of shadow, where really the colour of an object or surface should be clean and plain.

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Problems with focusing and fast-moving images

All this makes it exceedingly difficult to focus on anything for any length of time.  If i try to hold my gaze on one particular point, my eyes become uncomfortable and seem to either want to move around simply so as to avoid staying still, or my brain gives up and I look at the particular spot, but do no focus on it.  My concentration therefore is very easily broken.
In line with the difficulty I have focusing on a particular point, I also cannot track fast-moving images.  This is most apparent when watching television.  If the camera quickly pans from one image to another, my eyes cannot keep up with the changing focal points.  For example, watching a game of football on the TV, naturally the camera follows the ball.  So, should the ball be passed quickly from one end of the pitch to the other, as in a goal kick, my vision goes through a cycle of focusing on the ball at one location, unfocusing whilst it's in fast-motion and the camera moves, then refocusing again once it has come to relative rest at its new location.  
As a general rule, any time I have to move my eyes at all, I have problems.  However at the same time, as I said, my eyes do not seem to be comfortable when they are not moving.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? It is good that your eye examination was fine. Aside from the one-sided throbbing headache, the aura experienced my migraine sufferers is defined as focused symptoms that grow over 5-15 minutes and generally last about an hour.  With aura, visual symptoms include the following: negative scotomata (blurred or absent areas in the vision field), tunnel vision, or even complete blindness; positive visual problems, the most common of which consists of an absent arc or band of vision with a shimmering or glittering zigzag border;  photopsias  or uniform flashes of light wherein a sensation of lights, sparks, or colors or visual hallucinations that may take various shapes; and photophobia. I agree with legal girl that you should have this checked for proper management. Take care and regards.

[legalgirl5]

John,

Hi...I am not a doctor and cannot give any medical advice.  But here is my take on your situation.

I am a fellow migraine suffer.  Double vision, halo's and strange images are a "hallmark" of migraines.

Do you have any neurological health problems?  Are you seeing a neurologist?

My personal advice would be to make an appointment and go see one.  They specialize in everything that has to do with our heads (including migraine).  My doctor will also give a shot if it gets too bad or has gone on too long.  Do not let this go too long before seeing someone that knows  their "business".

Good luck and I hope you get to feeling better.  Pain is horrible to live with.

legalgirl5