This is the most common type of migraine aura and causes temporary visual changes, like flashing lights, blind spots, or zigzags. There are three main types of migraine auras, per the Cleveland Clinic: “Migraine aura without headache often occurs later in life, and is sometimes mistaken for a sign of a stroke,” says Andrew Charles, M.D., director of the UCLA Goldberg Migraine Program. Not all migraine auras happen with a painful headache, though. “We don't know why some experience aura and some don't,” says Amit Sachdev, M.D., director of the division of neuromuscular medicine at Michigan State University. Migraine aura, also known as migraine with aura or a classic migraine, is a recurring headache that happens after or the same time as sensory disturbances called aura, according to the Mayo Clinic.Īuras can include flashes of light, blind spots, and other vision changes, or tingling in your hands or face. And, of those, the majority of people have a visual migraine aura.īut what is migraine aura and how can you tell if you’ve experienced it? Here’s what you need to know. Migraine aura is experienced by up to 30% of people who have migraines, according to the Cleveland Clinic. One of the more common ones? Migraine aura. However, they can interfere with regular daily activities, so best to take good care of yourself until the symptoms pass and get some medical help to keep them from coming back.Having a migraine is associated with intense pain, but there are other symptoms that can come along with these headaches. The visual disturbances are temporary and harmless to the eye. There are some known triggers for migraines that if avoided could help keep them from happening: stress, smoking, dehydration, red wine, change in barometric pressure and lack of sleep are just a few. The first thing to do about both kinds of migraines is to seek medical help, especially if you’re experiencing visual problems in just one eye which could mean a different, much more serious medical problem such as stroke or retinal detachment. Because the source of the problem for a migraine with aura is the brain, not the eyes, you would still be able to see the disturbance if you cover your eyes. For ocular migraines, the retina, or specifically the retinal blood vessels, is the source. In migraine with aura, the occipital cortex of the brain located at the base of the skull is the source. The source of the visual disturbances is different for the two types of headaches. Many researchers believe the symptoms are caused by a reduction in blood-flow to the brain which is possibly caused by a spasm in the blood vessels. The underlying cause for migraines of all kinds have not been definitively established. Also, the headache, which can also be accompanied by symptoms of nausea and severe light sensitivity, tends to be right behind the affected eye of an ocular migraine but can be more spread out for a migraine with aura. The visual disturbances tend to go away before the headache begins for the migraine with aura but can last longer for the ocular headache. Shimmering, colored, or flickering lights The main difference is a migraine with aura will affect both eyes while an ocular migraine affects only one. The symptoms of the two conditions are almost the same except for a few telltale signs. What are the symptoms for migraine with aura and ocular migraine? Read on to learn the distinctions between the two. These two types of headaches are very similar making it very confusing to tell which is which. There is also another less common type of migraine with visual disturbance called an ocular migraine affecting only about one out of every 200 people who have migraines. Most likely what you have experienced is a migraine with aura accounting for approximately 20% of all migraines. If you suffer from migraines, you may have noticed some visual disturbances in addition to your headache. There’s nothing like it–the excruciating, throbbing pain in your head that can only be a migraine.
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