I am a 48 year old woman and can certainly empathize with what you're feeling. I have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder which I've treated pretty successfully with Lexapro. However, since I've started menopause, I've experienced these vision losses that are extremely troubling. I can physiologically feel when they are about to occur. It starts with a head rush that you feel after you stand up too quickly. Then my vision blackens out in my left eye--much like looking through a really dark x-ray or something. When my vision starts to return it's as if I've looked at a huge flashbulb--that kind of effect anyway is the best way I can describe it. MRI's have shown nothing--opthomologists say my eye health is fine. After these episodes--which are beginning to occur more frequently--I certainly knock the top off the old stress meter.
I just had my first ocular migraine and thought I was going to die. What causes them? Did I mention I have extreme disabling anxiety. Do these ocular attacks cause brain damage?
About two years ago I had several episodes of what I now know was ocular migraine. The first time I had it, it scared the living day lights out of me. Thought I was going blind forever. Had a heart attack. A stroke. So many things passed through my mind... The episodes lasted about three months, then never came back. They would come on slowly, reach a peak in about two minutes, then very slowly disappear, in about twenty minutes. About half of my field of view would be gone, covered with gray nothingness, except there would be not- too- bright lightning flashes superimposed on the gray background. Had my eyes checked, but we never found out what was the matter. During the first episode I was pretty anxious, but the anxiety had a sharp focus: I was going blind. During later episodes I had already prepared myself by reading up on ocular migraine on the Internet, and did not worry too much about the episode concluding without damage in less than an hour. I wish you good luck.
I suffer from them too. I get the lightning bolt lines in one eye, then my vision goes. Pretty scary. I find that I get them when I am stressed or drink too much coffee. Went to my eye doctor and he diagnosed them, so I wear my glasses alot more. I too use to have anxiety attacks, but haven't had one in 10 years.
I got and read the book, "Anxiety Disease" by Dr. David Sheehan. He is also the one who treated me. It is a wonderful book. Good Luck!
I have heard the term ocular migraine but have never encountered an alice and wonderland syndrome as you suggested. I recommend you ask this same question to the neurology division of med help because this is something outside of my experience, and they are more likely to have some first hand information.
If I can find out anything more, I will post it next week.