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Migraine Headaches and Vision

Posted 9/27/2007

All suffer from chronic migraine headaches, a frequently painful disorder that affects more than 25 million Americans, about 70 percent of them adult women. While the pain of a migraine headache is well known, less familiar are its effects on vision. In many cases, migraines can affect eyesight by triggering temporary light flashes, known as auras, or short-lived vision loss. "There's no doubt that migraine headaches and related visual problems, such as auras and even partial loss of vision for short periods, cause enormous discomfort for millions of people," says John F. Amos, O.D., a VSP doctor and professor of optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. For this reason, he says, people who suspect they are having migraines should consult their family physician, both to rule out more serious conditions such as a brain tumor and to come up with a treatment plan. But, the Alabama practitioner adds, be sure to tell your eyecare provider, too. He or she can offer more specialized care and information.

"Because most eye doctors have a great deal of experience with the visual aspects of migraine," he says, "they often can give a patient custom tailored advice about vision issues related to this disorder."

These "vision issues" include the above-mentioned auras - streaks of light or sparkles that can last 10 to 30 minutes - and ocular migraine - a temporary loss of vision in one eye before, during or after a headache.

An experienced optometrist can analyze the finer points of your migraine-related vision disturbance, says Dr. Amos, and advise you accordingly. For example, he or she might offer suggestions on how to respond if your central (as opposed to peripheral) field of vision is affected while you drive or operate machinery.

"Regardless of the form your particular migraine might take, it's important to tell your eyecare provider about it," says Dr. Amos. "So far, we haven't found a cure for migraine, but we do know how to make life a good bit easier for many migraine victims!"

Source: VSP

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