Lingering eye pain following ocular migraine?

[benjamin916]

I've had what I'm pretty sure are ocular migraines every three months.  When this happens, a blind spot forms in the central part of my right eye, I see jagged, geometric shapes that shimmer with bright colors, and there's often flashing lights in my peripheral vision.  This only occurs in the right eye (left is fine), and the visual symptoms go away after around 40 minutes.

Following this ocular migraine, my right eye is in a fair amount of pain for around 36 hours.  It feels tight and stiff, and very sore.  The pain is not associated with movement, and seems to be present no matter what I'm doing (even when resting my eyes).

What bothers me most about this, though, is that there is a very dull, lingering pain in the eye that lasts months after these headaches.  It feels like a very dull pressure under my eyebrow near the nose, and it starts following the ocular headache and is constant thereafter.  Also, I feel like it mildly effects the vision in my right eye long term.  I saw an eye doctor about this, and she said she didn't find any blind spots in the test she did, but it feels as if the right eye no longer receives as much light as the left - almost as if I'm looking through a barrel or something.  Hard to explain, and might be coincidence, but it's something I notice.

I had an ocular migraine in December, and I think the pain behind the eye was just beginning to clear up in mid-march, but then I had another ocular migraine last week and the same pressure and symptoms are back.

Is it normal to experience dull, lingering eye pain that lasts months following an ocular migraine?  Can these headaches and lingering effects also make it seems like vision from the effected eye is not quite as good as it was before?  If you've heard of this happening, can you suggest a way to remedy the long-term problems?

I saw my GP and he gave me Imitrex to take at the first sign of the next attack, however I'm hoping there's something I can do in the near-term to alleviate these lingering symptoms.

Thanks.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

Thanks for the update.
Yes dull ache in the eyes followed by an acute attack of ocular migraine does not last for months after the attack. I think you eye doctor must have checked for raised intraocular pressure also which can cause dull ache in the eyes.
Since your doctor has prescribed Imitrex I would suggest you to take it at the first sign of an impending attack.

Regards

[benjamin916]

Hello,

So far I have not taken any medication during these migraines - I've simply let them run their course.  I'd probably continue to let them go untreated if it weren't for these long-term, lingering effects I feel afterward.

After last weeks migraine and realizing the pressure and pain was now back, I went to see my doctor and he prescribed Imitrex to take at the onset of migraine symptoms.  My hope is that this will prevent the lingering effects from setting in, and will hopefully allow me to avoid the months of pain following these migraines.

The only triggers I've been able to identify are caffeine and early morning, so I've been very careful to stick to a routine in the morning, and take in a consistent amount of caffeine.

So you're saying that untreated migraines don't typically "transform" into this kind of pressure and pain?  I haven't had a migraine since I got the medication last week, and I probably wont be able to "test" Imitrex out for a while (so far the migraines have been around every 3 months, with lingering effects that last pretty much the entire duration between them).

Thanks,
Ben

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

It is not usual for eye ache to last for months after the ocular migraine is over and it is difficult to provide a straightforward answer to your question.
It will help us to know what treatment do you take for your migraines and have you been able to identify triggers for your migraine.
Medications like Aspirin, beta blockers like propranolol, Amitriptyline are known preventive therapies for ocular migraines.

Thanks