Ocular Migraine :(

[sirenz]

Anyone had this before?

On monday morning, afer a very bad nights sleep, I woke up and then about 1/2 hour later I started getting a bright zig zag pattern in my eyes (still there when I closed them), over about 5 mins this turned into partial blindness, where I couldn't' see anyones face or anything in my central vision, just black spots. It went away after 20 mins and I made an appointment with my gp who diagnosed it as an Ocular Migraine.

BUT she has booked me in for a CT Scan just to make sure there is nothing serious causing it.

My question is, has anyone had this before, if so, did you get a CT Scan and what were the results? How often do you get ocular migraines?

I'm now too scared to drive anywhere incase it happens while I'm driving, I really don't want this to affect every aspect of my life if its something I will be getting every now and then iykwim.

[briggsy's girl]

i have them to that degree maybe once every 12 to 18 months or so - though having said that, i don't recall any while pregnant or since DD was born. awful horrible things! CT scan and another optic exam showed nothing unusual. the Opto did ask me if i see floaty "worms" in my vision, which i get semi regularly - he has said this is another form of optic migraine. because there are no pain receptors in the eye (just light receptors leading to the optic nerve) we get a painless eye migraine.

[Astrolady]

I get migraines. One a fortnight at the moment. It used to be like that as well when I was on the pill. Migraine to say my body was ovulating, migraine to say my body was having AF... Gee thanks body as if I didn't already know Tried every migraine drug under the sun including highly expensive ones which do work till my body got used to them. I went onto the Depo needle 18mths ago and it was my wonder drug. I only had a migraine once in a blue moon. That lasted until 2 months ago, and my body has gone back into the fortnightly migraine scenario again. Which really sucks when I am doing a course at school and have to use computers that have LCD screens and crap flicker rates. Does not help my course.

I am currently on 900mg of Asprin at the onset of a migraine. If that doesn't work I have a script to try another drug which is also on the expensive side.

Like BG. I quite often see floating worms. Have had photos taken off my eyes and nothing was detected. They believe my migraines are hormonal, but don't know why I am getting them fortnightly again.

[sirenz]

thanks ladies, I see those little floaty worms too sometimes, I just thought that was normal for everyone, but it could be linked to ocular migraines, just never really thought about it. I'm just so damn nervous about this CT scan, you know when everything is finally going right in your life and then suddenly this comes up and all I can think is bad things are going to happen because everything can't be good all the time iykwim? anyway, good to hear i'm not alone on the ocular migraine, just hope it stays "just a migraine" and nothing else!

[briggsy's girl]

Like BG. I quite often see floating worms. Have had photos taken off my eyes and nothing was detected. They believe my migraines are hormonal, but don't know why I am getting them fortnightly again.

one of our neighbours had the same thing - ovulation and AF would bring on migraines. she had pcos, so thankfully for her, it wasn't so regular (every few months she'd have migraines a couple of weeks apart). took ages to work out what it was. the doctor suggested it was just a sensitivity to the hormones peaking and dropping (LH up at O, P4 down at AF).

i know i get hormonal headaches, which suck, but they don't normally hit migraine level. having said that, i've had weird AF stuff happening the past few months and had the first "classical chemical" migraines i've had in ages. most of mine are mechanical (neck out - relief is a chiro visit away) so chemical migraines are unusual and knock me on my ass big time. it is possible, given the af issues, that they are hitting around when i should be ovulating and again around AF - just haven't tracked it!

[sirenz]

The hormone thing makes sense to me too, I just got AF today and the dr also mentioned it.. 'sigh' I hope its not going to be a regular occurance, thankfully I didn't get a "pain" migraine, only the eye thing and a very slight headache.

[MrsFabuloso]

I get migraines too, and see floaty things in my eyes. I also see flashes of light sometimes. My eyes are really sensitive to light too. When I have a migraine I have to be in a darkened room or I just can't see or function for the pain. I think mine are hormonal too, I often get a migraine when AF is due, or around ovulation.

[leckert]

I started out getting migraines like that - nothing apparently there when I had an eye specialist check it out. I started chiro and it disappeared, however I need to make sure I go to the chiro now every 4-6 weeks so I don't get migraines (don't usually manage to get the headaches with them though). I thought I was starting to have macular degeneration (no middle vision, opposite to tunnel vision) because it went on for a few days originally. Mind you the eye specialist didn't think going to the chiro should be able to "fix" my migraines it seems to for me.

[Floweryfields]

Yes, I have them exactly like you describe. Sometimes with headache, sometimes without. My dad gets them too, I believe it is genetic. I don't get them alot, sometimes they can be brought on by something simple like a bright beam of sunlight shining in my eye. Other times, there can be no reason at all. One time when I had one, I actually couldn't read - I could read the words, but not understand them at all!