Managing Migraine Headaches

Migraine Symptoms, Causes & Treatments

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There are many different types of migraines. The type most people are familiar with is the throbbing headache that lasts for hours at a time. The truth is, however, some types of migraines are more bearable than others, and not all of them are painful. In fact, the painful migraine everyone is familiar with is not the most common type. The most common type of migraine is an optical migraine, which is actually often painless.

Also known as ophthalmic migraines or ocular migraines, optical migraines are characterized by visual disturbances, which is probably caused by migraine activity in the visual cortex. They can occur with or without the headache often associated with migraines. Like almost all migraines, they are attributed to the changes in blood flow in the brain's blood vessels. They are generally harmless and cause no permanent visual or brain damage, and in many cases, because they are painless, there is no need for treatment.

The symptoms of an optical migraine are mostly visual ones, and very often only one eye is involved. However, they may also come with some physical symptoms that affect other areas of the body. These symptoms include

• Visual

- seeing a blind spot, known as a scotoma, that enlarges or moves across the person's field of vision
- seeing a shimmering zig-zagging line, known as metamorphosia, in the blind spot
- seeing bright flickering lights
- double vision

• Phsyical

- numbness in the eye area
- hunger
- nausea and/or vomiting

An ophthalmic migraine should not be confused with a retinal migraine. A retinal migraine is characterized by several or repeated occurrences of short-lasting diminished vision or blindness. These bouts of diminished vision or blindness can precede a headache or it can come and go without any pain. This is a rather dangerous type of migraine because the periods of blindness can last as long as half an hour, which can be dangerous for the patient. Retinal migraines are often treated with medication in order to reduce their frequency, and it is highly recommended that patients visit a doctor as soon as the first attack occurs.

As mentioned earlier, optical migraines are often connected to the change in blood flow in the blood vessels of the brain. However, studies have found that this type of migraine is related other factors. Most sufferers of ophthalmic migraines notice that they often occur after periods of intense focus with their eyes, such as working on a computer for a long period of time or focusing on the screen intently, or reading for long periods of time. It has also been connected to unhealthy diets, weakness in the nerve system, high amounts of stress, and birth control pills.

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