Ocular migraines

Anybody else get these? Basically, you see a weird, arced "kaleidoscopic" thing in your field of vision, and they aren't always painful. I just started seeing one a few minutes ago, a small part of my vision blocked by this multi-coloured flashing rainbow, and now it's taken up about half the field of vision in my right eye.

It's really freaky... seems a lot of people get them, but if you get them frequently, you might want to get an MRI done.

I used to get them like crazy. Not much lately. No pain, just the visual part. I kind of just blamed it on the acid.

I used to get them a lot when I was younger, starting in junior high, but not so much now (I'm in my late 40s); maybe once a year. I get the aura first along with some minor nausea, which lasts about a half hour before giving way to the classic migraine pain. Once the aura starts, which is always out of the blue, I know what's coming and hit it immediately with 800mg of ibuprofen. That will usually knock the headache out within a couple hours.

I should get some ibuprofen in me... they aren't always painful, but I can feel the headache coming on with this one.

I've found that caffeine helps me avoid them. Drinking coffee in the morning helps (there is nothing worse than a migraine in the morning). I wear sunglasses outside pretty much all the time, and try to avoid sudden bright lights or glare, which set off migraines for me. I get them just a couple times a year, although when I get one, I tend to be susceptible to them for a week or two afterwards, so I take it easy then. I've gotten them since I was probably twelve, although I didn't realize what the hell was happening to me until I was in high school. I just figured I was having a dizzy spell or something.

LLBeanJ said:

I used to get them a lot when I was younger, starting in junior high, but not so much now (I'm in my late 40s); maybe once a year. I get the aura first along with some minor nausea, which lasts about a half hour before giving way to the classic migraine pain. Once the aura starts, which is always out of the blue, I know what's coming and hit it immediately with 800mg of ibuprofen. That will usually knock the headache out within a couple hours.

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That's pretty much my experience.

slym2none said:

I should get some ibuprofen in me... they aren't always painful, but I can feel the headache coming on with this one.

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I use aspirin, but it's definitely a good idea to keep something with you in your car or at work. Two aspirin and lying down in a dark room help me pretty well. I did get a prescription for Imitrex maybe 7 years ago, and tried it once or twice right after a migraine started. It will basically shut the aura BS down immediately, and help with the headaches, but I found that it made me feel so lousy (tired and nauseous) that I'd rather just deal with migraines my way. It also has pretty nasty side effects, but if things get bad, there are other medications out there. It's worth reading up on them, though, because some of the treatments seem to be very counter-productive. For me, avoiding dehydration (like when hiking or mountain biking) is key, as is some caffeine. I like that one, lol. If you read around for migraine maintenance, you'll find that caffeine works for a lot of people.

slym2none said:

Anybody else get these? Basically, you see a weird, arced "kaleidoscopic" thing in your field of vision, and they aren't always painful. I just started seeing one a few minutes ago, a small part of my vision blocked by this multi-coloured flashing rainbow, and now it's taken up about half the field of vision in my right eye.

It's really freaky... seems a lot of people get them, but if you get them frequently, you might want to get an MRI done.

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All the time.

MRI, CT scans, nothing. I was supposed to go see a neurologist, but then my I changed my insurance and the process started all over so I just gave up.

I typically get a splitting headache with them. Like all I can do is sit there.

Yes, I get these as well... probably once or twice a month.

No one knows WTF I'm talking about when I tell them, I've seen eye a few eye doctors and they all agree that's what they are but have no explanation as to why I might get them.

Mine close in on either side and have never had any pain associated with them. I get extreme tunnel vision when they are at their worst, so much so that I cannot see or read or anything. I basically have to sit and wait until they pass.

Pretty terrible when you can't see **** for about a half hour or so.

Crazy that this would come up here.

We are not alone.

Psylocide said:

Yes, I get these as well... probably once or twice a month.

No one knows WTF I'm talking about when I tell them, I've seen eye a few eye doctors and they all agree that's what they are but have no explanation as to why I might get them.

Mine close in on either side and have never had any pain associated with them. I get extreme tunnel vision when they are at their worst, so much so that I cannot see or read or anything. I basically have to sit and wait until they pass.

Pretty terrible when you can't see **** for about a half hour or so.

Crazy that this would come up here.

We are not alone.

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I never get pain with mine. Not joking, I blamed all the psychedelics I played with for so long, and never even thought it was anything else.

I used to get these when I was younger right when my mom got diagnosed with diabetes and switched to diet coke. The whole house started drinking diet along with her thinking nothing of it. I stopped drinking pop when wrestling season started and it went away. Tested it drinking anything with a sugar substitute and low and behold, got it again. As long as I avoid sugar substitutes I don't get any migraines, ocular or otherwise.

Happens to me about once every 2 months or so.

• Starts as a wavy purple colored spot
• Spot gets larger and begins to move around my sight of view/vision
• Anything within that area dissappears. So I could look right at my hand and I wouldn't see my hand. It's pretty intense
• I also take 600 to 800 mg of ibuprofen IMMEDIATELY when I begin to see the wavy purple spot
• The vision problems go away in about 35 minutes
• I have found I fare SO MUCH better if I can take a couple hour nap ASAP.
• Heavy nausea hits at about 50 minutes. Hopefully I am sleeping by then -- if not then I sometimes upchuck
• If I take any of the "for migraine" medicines that have caffiene then I for sure throw up. If I take anyting with caffine in it while I have a migraine then I for sure throw up. I think it makes my heart pump too hard which makes my stomach more upset.
• They aren't fun

1977Brewer said:

I never get pain with mine. Not joking, I blamed all the psychedelics I played with for so long, and never even thought it was anything else.

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[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdeo7Q2E5cE[/ame]

I've had them since high school but I only get them when I surf or snow ski. I think its the dehydration + sun that spawns them. My doctor told me that people have different triggers. I either can't see what I'm looking at, but only have peripheral vision or I can only see what I'm looking at but nothing else. I now take aspirin before I surf or ski and don't have an issue.

For me, the vision issues were bad (hard to surf/ski or drive when you can't see), but the headaches that follow were also bad. Once it starts, the only way for me to get back to normal is to go to sleep for 6-8 hours. That's why I take aspirin to prevent it from starting.

Ugh... getting another one of these now. Trying to brew tonight! I hope it goes away... as it stands, time to shut off all the lights & go lay myself down.

slym2none said:

Ugh... getting another one of these now. Trying to brew tonight! I hope it goes away... as it stands, time to shut off all the lights & go lay myself down.

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They always come at inconvenient times. Got one a couple days ago again. I laid down for 30 minutes which is like 1.5 hours less than I normally do. When I got up I was amazed at how crazy my vision was. So purple, blurry, wavy, sparkly right in the middle of my vision

Sleeping them off is my favorite way to get rid of them. I did not enjoy the nausea and vision problems when I had to tend to something more important.

slym2none said:

Anybody else get these? Basically, you see a weird, arced "kaleidoscopic" thing in your field of vision, and they aren't always painful. I just started seeing one a few minutes ago, a small part of my vision blocked by this multi-coloured flashing rainbow, and now it's taken up about half the field of vision in my right eye.

It's really freaky... seems a lot of people get them, but if you get them frequently, you might want to get an MRI done.

Click to expand...

This does not sound like an ocular migraine. It sounds more like a scintillating scotoma. Either way, if it happens more than just occasionally, you should talk to your doctor.

I get them quite often. A buddy gave me a shot of whiskey when I had one in his presence. It worked. Next time I had one I chugged a beer and success!

I get these. I had an accident when I was a kid. I collided with another guy in gym class. His nose and my head. I obliterated his nose and I had a nasty concussion, but I've had ocular migraines ever since.

I had MRIs, CAT scans, EEGs, etc...

They usually happen due to lights and stress. One time I was working with gasoline, and that set one off. Every year I seem to get a week or two of reoccurring migraines.

My symptoms are a little different. I don't have any pain, I lose part of my field of vision (I'll see half a face), I get flashing floaters in my peripheral vision, and I lose the ability to read, write and speak properly. My brain works, but when I talk, jibberish comes out of my mouth (my wife would say this is normal). It's a little freaky when it happens, but I'm usually good within an hour or so. However, I'm exhausted after an episode.

max384 said:

This does not sound like an ocular migraine. It sounds more like a scintillating scotoma. Either way, if it happens more than just occasionally, you should talk to your doctor.

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Glad you clarified. I looked it up and you're right. I guess "visual migraine" is the right layman's terms we should be using -- not ocular.

b-boy said:

I get these. I had an accident when I was a kid. I collided with another guy in gym class. His nose and my head. I obliterated his nose and I had a nasty concussion, but I've had ocular migraines ever since.

I had MRIs, CAT scans, EEGs, etc...

They usually happen due to lights and stress. One time I was working with gasoline, and that set one off. Every year I seem to get a week or two of reoccurring migraines.

My symptoms are a little different. I don't have any pain, I lose part of my field of vision (I'll see half a face), I get flashing floaters in my peripheral vision, and I lose the ability to read, write and speak properly. My brain works, but when I talk, jibberish comes out of my mouth (my wife would say this is normal). It's a little freaky when it happens, but I'm usually good within an hour or so. However, I'm exhausted after an episode.

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Dude that is scary. It sounds like you are having a TIA or more commonly known as a mini stroke. I sure hope if you have told your doctor these symptoms they have ruled that out.

It's a migraine. I've had tests done. Apparently the symptoms are common. The reading is weird. The letters look like hieroglyphics.

They said they could put me on meds to control it, but it happens so infrequently I opted to just deal with it. My family, friends, and work are aware in case it happens there. I can feel one coming on about 15-20 minutes before it happens.

I started getting them after a head injury. Great indicator that a major headache is coming

I remember the first one I got. I had no idea what was happening and thought I'd been drugged or was going crazy. I was so freaked out, I called the local Telehealth line and after describing what was happening, they suggested it was a migraine. I'm so glad I don't get them often, I really feel for those of you who do

I've had a solid three major concussions in my life...my heads a magnet what are you going to do....and ever since I get massive migraines eyes watering can't see when they get really bad.

Now I keep a quick response kit stocked in the house of it hits me at home. I found a great deal of relief on a cooling mask that you can store in your freezer. It's the closest to instant pain mitigation that I've found. Then throw back some asprin with a cup of coffee and take 15min to go isolate myself in a dark room.

Yes sir. I've had migraines with aura since my teens (now 42). Bane of my existence. No MRI, but I figure if I had a tumor , I'd be dead by now.

Mine lead to a progressive headache over three hours that always ends up with me so sick I vomit. Then its gone in like 30 minutes. Haven't had them in years but they were vicious

Poobah58 said:

I get them quite often. A buddy gave me a shot of whiskey when I had one in his presence. It worked. Next time I had one I chugged a beer and success!

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I've found that this approach works for almost any problem.