Migraine and visual disturbances

Migraine is a commonly known condition and one of the most frequent nervous system disorders. Its characteristic symptom is a pulsating, throbbing headache of moderate to severe intensity. Not everyone realise that among other symptoms of migraine are also visual disturbances.

Migraine is not only a headache. It is a highly burdensome condition which requires specialist treatment. It affects adults from various age groups, women more often than men, and sometimes even children. Unfortunately, its symptoms are often not properly recognised and thus ignored and not reported to a doctor.

Severe headaches are not the only symptoms of migraine. Symptoms differ depending on the type of migraine. Some migraines are accompanied by visual disturbances. Eyesight problems are typical of ocular migraine, migraine with aura and ophthalmoplegic hemicrania.

Ocular migraine is characterised by pain located in the orbital cavity area as well as neurological disorders manifested by hemianopsia (less vision or blindness in half of the visual field). Other symptoms also include decreased visual acuity or even short-time vision loss. In case of migraine with aura pain is usually preceded by visual disturbances, frequently by flickering images spreading onto a larger part of the visual field and a perspective distortion. Migraine with aura may be accompanied by ophthalmoplegia, hand numbness and paralysis, or speech impairment. Ophthalmoplegic hemicrania is manifested by headaches coupled with partial or complete ophthalmoplegia. It leads to ptosis (droopy eyelids) and eye movement impairment resulting in double vision. However, despite the correlation between migraine and visual disturbances, none of the types of migraine does not lead to a permanent vision deterioration or vision loss.

Migraine is a chronic condition whose causes and treatment methods has still not been uniquely determined. Therefore, it should not be undermined and you should fight it under a strict supervision of a specialist. Headaches similar to the migraine ones may also be caused by other factors and only a doctor can diagnose them correctly. It may turn out that the cause of pain is a vision defect such as astigmatism. Compound astigmatism is difficult to correct with contact lenses or glasses. In such case the best solution may be undergoing a laser vision correction, which is short, safe and effective. If you have astigmatism, short-sightedness, far-sightedness or a combination of these defects, fill in a preliminary qualification form ONLINE and find out whether a laser vision correction procedure is suitable for you.

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