What Is An Ocular Migraine? Eye Doctor Explains

[@DrRupaWong]

Have you ever had an ocular migraine? What is it like for you? 🤕

[@rosemorris7912]

Yes, I've had several occular migraines. As you pointed out, they disappear within an hour, but they're still a bit disconcerting.

[@DrRupaWong]

@@rosemorris7912 They can be very disconcerting! Have you identified any triggers?

[@leighwatson1861]

Just had 2 not had one for about a year feel sick now probably from stressing my brain

[@DrRupaWong]

@@leighwatson1861 So sorry, Leigh. Stress can definitely cause it! When did you have your first migraine?

[@leighwatson1861]

@@DrRupaWong iv had them years I'm 48 had first probably at 10 but my first aura was at school reading my eyes went could not see then banging headache I always thought it was because of my injury till the Internet told me what it was now I don't panic but not nice when one comes on without notice thankyou for response

[@sonrog8877]

I get the streaming zigzag aura. Found it interesting that my ophthalmologist said if you see the aura both when your eyes are open & closed then it’s not an eye issue but a neural & sensory issue. Thank you for a very informative video. It surprised me as to how many people never heard of this. I was having difficulty explaining the experience to others.

[@stephanie4569]

I see them with both closed and open eye. That is interesting what your ophthalmologist said...Id never read or heard that before and I'm still so confused by whether this is something occurring in the eye or in the brain. If it's a neural and sensory issue, did your doctor say what could or should be done to help it, or to stop it from happening? I too have been surprised by how many people have never heard of this or had it happen to them. It is definitely hard to explain to someone who's never had it happen to them .I find it scary still even after experiencing it off and on for many years now. I hope yours lessen/go away. Take care

[@sonrog8877]

Not sure if this how I’m supposed to reply. My doctor said since it’s not a physical eye problem there is nothing to do & it’s not dangerous or damaging. I find it happens less when my health is stronger.

[@EricaGamet]

I suffer from the zigzag aura (no headache) as well. I am a designer and sometimes if I look at a bright screen after looking at a dark one (or white type on black background), or even if I look out the window and catch a glint of sun coming off a car, it sets it off. I can't see my screen for about 45 minutes and afterwards I feel like someone has punched me in the eye. Took forever for me to convey to someone what I was suffering. I finally drew a picture of the aura and someone knew what it was!

[@EricaGamet]

@@stephanie4569 One thing I found helps, but isn't super practical, is to look at a random pattern. Basically I discovered this while sitting in a restaurant. I looked outside and a car door reflected the sun into my eye and the aura started. The restaurant had one of those bumpy walls with a waterfall running down it. When I looked at the water bubbling down, I couldn't see the aura and my eyes didn't hurt. I looked away and it came back. I've found a video of a waterfall played on a very dim iPad can do the trick nearly as well!

[@DonzLockz]

​@@EricaGamet I get the exact same thing from the same trigger of bright lights and anxiety. :(

[@Monica-le9oi]

I call these eye migraines “kaleidoscope migraines” because for me it starts with a tiny aura but eventually takes over my vision. Sometimes I get them with or without a headache or migraine.

[@AJ-yi6hg]

Exactly the same for me.

[@lelethsia856]

Same for me

[@shannonbates714]

Same.

[@MephiticMiasma]

My dad calls them "seeing flashy lights again" ...as good a description as any lol

[@ecrolly]

I have ocular migraines ONLY IN SCHOOL. It gets on my nerves when I read

[@JonnyQ408]

when I’m stressed out, and have really bad Anxiety and panic attacks i noticed my eye floaters, i also used to get a flash of lights on the corner of my eyes

[@DrRupaWong]

Wow thank you for sharing!

[@Manvi-o4c]

Same

[@jjmusiclover3]

OMGGGG THE AURA that is what it is! I’m always telling people as soon as I see the blurring It’s over for me. Like I’m puking and stuff moments later.

[@roundaboutwithdan8649]

I've only had the visual aura, but not the pain. It scared the hell out of me the first time I experienced it. I was relieved to discover that it only lasts for 20 minutes or so and was not permanent. I've had them for the last 30+ years at it has never gotten any worse. It also only happens a few times a year. It starts off where I notice I can't read as well, like some of the letters become invisible, then a little geometric, zig zaggy flashing lines appear, they pulsate and grow larger and then gradually they disappear. If you experience anything like this, I still recommend going to a doctor to make sure it's nothing more serious. But I want people to know that it is not necessarily a permanent thing. I've noticed that things like drinking coffee, getting exposed to excessive glare, or spending too much time looking at my computer, iPhone, TV screen can be an issue. I recommend just relaxing, getting away from any monitors for a bit and letting it pass without freaking out is the best thing to do. I still drink coffee and have not had to change much of my habits as it is not a constant, debilitating thing, just a temporary and infrequent phenomenon. Also, I think it's genetic as my mom and a cousin on that side of the family had the same thing.

[@DrRupaWong]

So sorry you have had to deal with this! Thank you for sharing!

[@cherylriley8945]

Same with me About five years now

[@Spucky50]

You described my experience perfectly. I diagnosed myself a few years ago. Dr. Wong just confirmed it.

[@Kate98755]

yes sun will trigger mine, stress i believe does too. These started around 12, with the headache, i was fitted with glasses to relax the nerves or muscles behind the eye…i can’t remember what the Dr said…the glasses weren’t for vision, it did help. Now I usually just have the aura, once in a great while I get the headache

[@roundaboutwithdan8649]

@@Kate98755 I'm so glad you don't get the headache. I'm definitely happy I don't have the pain, just the occasional aura. Had one this morning, but as usual, it passed in about 20 minutes.

[@saskianorvell8604]

Interesting video. I have been seeing these auras since I was a kid, around 3 years old, I was in kinder. When I told my parents about it, they didn't believe me. No one, not even the doctors believe me. I grew up and stopped mentioning it to anyone. Until about 15 years ago I went to a hospital for my daughter's ophthalmologist, the medical assistant, very nice lady apologized to me, she looked distracted, and she told me she was having an aura migrane (ocular migrane), then I asked what was it, and when she explained to me I told her I see the same thing but people always thought I was crazy (including the doctors). Since that day, I was a bit relieved that I wasn't the only one seeing things. I still haven't mentioned it to my new doctors. I had these episodes all my life. I have no headaches, I've had very few mild headaches in my life. The aura I see becomes so large it's like a portal to another universe, and the zig zag is more defined like an enlarged chase bank symbol in rainbow colors with white flashing lights spectrum all around and in the center I can see the tiny picture of the focal object I'm supposed to be seeing. I'm an older woman and I have had many of these episodes, I lost count. Thank you.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so sorry you weren't believed! I am so relieved you were able to find a doctor that could help you and you don't have many headaches. Thank you for sharing your experience! Someone else may be able to relate.

[@elizabethhowse5471]

I've had these too...yellow and blk zig zag lines that only go away once the circle is completed...no headache...also in lat 60's..my daughter gets them with the headache....I never told Dr..just thought I was lucky to not get the migrane headache

[@hende8445]

Damn this was exactly the same story i have but with headaches too and i had them since i was 11.Doctors didnt really understand (probably because i couldnt explain well) .Theyre painful and thought it wasnt big of deal as they would go away eventually.

[@chalktalkwithshari4173]

I am so sad for your 3-year-old self. 😢

[@felicityfrancis9826]

I had my 1st migraine in 8th grade. It started with aura, blind spots, loss of reflexes, temperature drop, and when I spoke, I didn't make sense. Then the pain- like my head was in a vice that kept tightening. Then the dry heaves. My mom picked me up from school, long story short, we ended up in the neurosurgeon's office. Classic migraine. I had one every 2 yrs. Until college. Then 1 a year. Finally abated in my 40's. I was on medication - for when I got a migraine, but had to take it before the pain started - otherwise I would throw it up. I want to mention bright lights are also a trigger for me, so I always wear sunglasses. I now get auras, but the headache is much more subdued. I usually get by with a migra-stick (essential oils). For some reason, even though my doctor writes my script, I can't get my migraine medication (Amerge). So I keep a migra-stick and hope I never get a classic migraine again! My eye doctor continues to monitor me for these.

[@emccormack4209]

I just wanted to emphasize how important it can be to get new symptoms checked out. I have had chronic migraines for over 30 years. In the fall of 2019, I started noticing a gray curtain type effect in my left eye. That is the same side most of my headaches live on, so I thought it was maybe a new version of migraine aura. I don’t always get aura, but it has become more common as I got older. My neurologist suggested I get an eye exam to be safe. The gray curtain was not migraine related, it was actually a ocular melanoma inside my eye that was detaching my retina. Get your eyes dilated and checked.

[@richardgregory3684]

Yes, when I was first diagnosed with ocular migraines, the doctor told me that the symptom they really worry about is the one you descibe, a grey or black curtain obscuring vision. Seeing lights but having otherwise normal vision is not generally a red flag symptom - that's what I was told anyway.

[@donk1822]

If by grey curtain you mean loosing the vision in the upper or lower part of either eye, this happened to me about a month before I experienced a series of TIA's. Just in case.

[@bethjeans3780]

@@donk1822 losing the vision?

[@donk1822]

@@bethjeans3780 My bad, didn't see that one.

[@DrRupaWong]

Yes, it is very important to get an exam. Thanks for reiterating that! I'm sorry you suffered from melanoma. How are you doing now?

[@christopherprince3250]

Been suffering with them for about 35 years. You answered questions I didn't fully know how to ask. Thanks for posting

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so sorry you suffer with this! I'm so glad to hear that this was helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@RG.......]

Hi - did you figure out the triggers? How exactly are you dealing to reduce the frequency, any medication etc? Did your Doc recommend any scans etc?

[@chilledchad]

​@@RG....... Cut down on sugar if not totally. I don't get em now.

[@RG.......]

@@chilledchad How often were you getting auras? And they just stopped after you cut back sugar? Anything else you did or did not do

[@chilledchad]

@@RG....... Exercise. I've always had hypertension and exercise has always had a relaxing effect on my body afterwards.

[@Ratguitar58]

Apparently I get the ophthalmic migraine. It’s usually without pain, I can see it with my eyes closed or open. It stays in the same area of sight and it looks like a half moon shaped kaleidoscope of colors. Thanks for the explanation 👍

[@DrRupaWong]

I am glad it doesn't hurt you. I'm happy to share!

[@julier.1902]

I seem to have had the same just 2 or 3 times tops. My 'thing' is a straight across zig zag line in the upper right 'corner' of my right eye. Weird.

[@Hollier411]

I too experience this type of migraine all my life.

[@RickGTI2019]

I too have had these migraines all my life. They started around the age of 8. 71 years later I still get them. I was lucky enough to find out what they were many years ago. Nothing dangerous, but very annoying.

[@mariatomko4278]

Mine starts like that but the half moon has jagged edges. Then it goes into a full on light show for a few minutes. No pain

[@craigbryant9925]

I will never forget being convinced that I was either dying or would be permanently blind the first time I had a migraine. I was at school and started feeling really ill with this new type of pain in my head. My school principal wouldn't let me lay in the sick room, she told me to go home or get back to class. I had a friend with a SAH mom who lived just up the road so I thought I would walk there and she'll let me recover in one of their rooms. I covered my head to block out the light and sound a bit and started walking. Halfway there I realised I was "going blind" with these dark spots closing in from the edges. It was so bad that I could barely see a few steps ahead of me. I ended up sitting on the side of the road with my jacket over my head crying for an hour or so until I could get up and stumble the rest of the way. I have never been so afraid. My parents didn't believe me and I only found out years later what a migraine was when I started getting them more and more frequently and now I know that the blind spot forming over my left eye is a warning that the next few days will be hell. 20 years and still don't know causes mine most of the time. Most likely anxiety or sleep disturbance related.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so sorry you had that experience. They really are scary! I am glad you know what they are now. Thank you for sharing with us and for being here.

[@sheilap7204]

I always get the blind spot in my left eye as well. My migraine pain is 98% of the time on my left side of my head. I’ve been dealing with these for almost 35 years now. I get Botox every 3 months and I take a monthly shot. Still getting them over 10 a month. Thanks for sharing this information with us

[@Fiona2254]

Mom and dad believed me because mom had them. The rest of the family didn’t, I was 13 and it was a family party. The consensus was that I was doing it for attention. I’m 58 now and today is not a good day,no aura but my eyes hurt 😔

[@deedeeseecee9294]

I have heard that the keto diet can help migraine sufferers.

[@DrRupaWong]

@@deedeeseecee9294 Anything is worth a shot!

[@TheresaK71]

I thought I was going blind the first time I had migraine with aura. I was about 15 and it was terrifying. Seeing the aura illustrations in the video actually made me panic and feel sick even though I'm not having a migraine right now, I just hate them so much! Thank you for the informative video.

[@DrRupaWong]

They really are awful. I'm glad this was helpful. Thank you for watching and sharing!

[@ph3043]

me as well especially since i had eye surgery once before. i really thought i was going blind in one eye. but i’ve had them every couple years or so now.

[@TheGhuru]

Same for me but they started when I was 13 yrs old. I'm 56 yrs old now and still get the aura. It sucks so bad!

[@emilymuse8110]

Mine first began when I was 15 as well! I laughed at your comment because I remember when I first had one I called my mother telling her I was going blind. So sorry you suffer with these too. 🤍

[@RonnieMcNutt_Mindblowing]

I got my first one at 14. Is the first time it starts around early teen years?

[@davepost7675]

Having my very first ophthalmic migraines right now. No pain at all, just realized I could not see sharp enough to read in both eyes. Gradually, over the last twenty minutes or so, the kaleidoscope moved away from the center of my eyes to the periphery. I can now read with my glasses, and the aura is heading out of my field of view. Very scary having never experienced it before.

[@patsycontreras4851]

This is what happens to me. It's been since age 18 yrs. I'm now 66.

[@patsycontreras4851]

I get aura with migraines.

[@jeanettelebarron3306]

I usually get the pain After the aura

[@chantelkindblade233]

I get ophthalmic migraines once every few months. It’s super annoying but definitely not painful. This is incredibly helpful. Thank you!

[@DrRupaWong]

Glad it helped! I'm sorry you have to deal with these too. Thank you for watching!

[@SassySue67]

I get them occasionally as well. Scared the crap out of me the first time.

[@dennismilinski4497]

drink coffee! works. sometimes you get it after drinking coffee, just drink another one , works every time. been doing it for years.

[@nanrod]

I get them a couple of times a week but I don't find them super annoying just mildly so while the visual artifact is in my focal point. After it drifts to the side it no longer affects my vision significantly. Getting them diagnosed took a while. the first time I mentioned them to an ophthamologist he said it was just floaters. The next was an optometrist who said no not floaters, it sounds like retinal migraines. And that led me to a wiki page for Scintillating Scotoma and Ophyhalmic migraine. None of that gets rid of them but it's nice to know that they aren't something to worry about.

[@IceSkater8491]

Thanks to you, Doctor Wong, I now know why I have zigzag auras occasionally with no headache. Have had them for years and mentioned them to several doctors, including an ophthalmologist, but no one could come up with a reason or explanation. I was so relieved to find your video after all these years! Thank you.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so glad you were able to find this video and get some answers. Next time you see your doctor show them this video. I hope your local doctor can help you out. Thank you so much for being here.

[@TheKinderdoc]

As a physician myself, I am surprised that your doctors, especially the neurologist, didn’t know those auras were migraines. I have had migraines with visual auras, without auras, and auras without the headache.

[@DrRupaWong]

@@TheKinderdoc Isn't it strange, Nancy? Sadly, many people have commented this.

[@JavierRamirez2685]

@silky smooth Did the glasses help? I have been experiencing the zig zags almost every day for the past week. Kinda freaks me out

[@plsjones]

I have had an aura migraine about 8 years ago and another one today, with no pain. So weird.

[@sharonbyars3493]

I was born 1943. My sister and I had similar symptoms when we went through puberty in the mid 50’s. Mom always called them “sick headache “ and sometimes we stayed home from school. My headaches typically don’t have pain but the flashing zigzag aura is common. We sometimes would experience a numbing on one side of the body, arm,leg and face…even that side of my tongue would feel larger. My menopause began early and the symptoms increased again, so I’ve always thought hormones were the cause. I’m 80 now and rarely experience any symptoms except the aura which is very short in duration

[@johnhedtke7571]

This is how I self medicate. Drink a Coke or Pepsi and take aspirin or Ibuprophen. I do that as soon as I know I am having a migrane. This knocks down the migraine 90%. I used to have everything you described. I have been doing this for over 30 years. I have never had a problem since. I usually get migraines about 5 times a year. A doctor actually told an aquaintance of mine this self medicating trick. Excedrine Migraine is filled with caffeine. The same thing. Just make sure you do this ASAP when you see this coming on.

[@jeanettelebarron3306]

I immediately take 800mg ibuprofen. I don't wait to see if I will get pain

[@weenedonpetrol]

Thank you for making this excellent video. I have cerebral palsy and ocular migraines. It taught me more about my migraines in 12 minutes than any other doctor has told me in the last 50 years.

[@DrRupaWong]

That really means so much to me. Thank you so much for being here, Andrew! I hope you can manage to get some relief.

[@L.i.s.a....]

Dr. Rupa is such an intelligent and caring ophthalmologist. Fortunate are your patients.

[@DrRupaWong]

Thank you!

[@Stampcrafter1]

I started getting ophthalmic migraines around the time of puberty. I am now 73 and still get them on occasion. They last exactly 20 minutes and I can clock them. There is no associated headache. I worked in ophthalmology for about 30 years. Even my boss got them! I even had an MRI and MRA of the brain and everything was perfectly normal. I’ll get a silvery shimmering ball at first and then it breaks into a half moon shape, gradually getting bigger until it fades away to the side. Sometimes the zigzagging thing is on the right side and sometimes on the left.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm sorry you have had these most of your life. That must be hard! I am glad the MRI and MRA were normal, though. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2023!

[@sleeplessstu]

This is exactly what happens to me !

[@katebarker5612]

That's exactly the same as mine even down to the length of time.

[@juudsternr10]

Exactly what happens to me! No headache but the next day I have a bit of a sore head

[@ThomasKent1346]

You've just described my symptoms! I too started getting them around the time of puberty (I'm now 76).

[@IsaMoralesAl]

So I have sarcoidosis in my eyes and it started when I was 18 yrs old, I started to lose my vision when I had a flare. About a year later I started suffering multiple migraines a week. My first migraine, I thought I was having a iritis flare with a horrible headache. Glad that I got diagnosed and have a stable treatment plan that works for me for my migraines.

[@karenphillips2092]

I've had migraines since I was 14, now coming up to 60 & this is the best explanation I have ever seen. I have gone from head migraines to zig zag/aura, the ice pick in the eye is a brilliant analogy, to retinal migraines. These changes have occurred from teenager period hormones, to having pregnancy hormones to menopausal & all other triggers inbetween. As each stage of my life as affected my ocular migraines I will say that if I notice my sight is 'off' or a blind spot starts if I get those painkillers taken within 5 mins the migraine does not go full blown. Thank you for this vid.

[@elizabethsullivan7176]

My story is pretty much the same as yours. I started getting migraines when I was in my early teens. I get the zigzag aura (or the "light show" as I call it) and it's my warning that it's time to take a T3, which has time to kick in before the pain starts. I've been on antidepressants for anxiety since I was 25 and after I started taking those the pain and occurrence of these headaches eased up. I started keeping a "diary" of my headaches, the date and time that they start, the things I was doing or eating at the time. It helped me to realize that they mostly seem to start at the same time as "time of the month". I'll be 52 in August and am at the beginning of menopause and last month was the first time I had a headache since June 2021.

[@elainehardy3502]

That's good to know. I didn't know that. I been having migraines for over 20 years. Sometimes with an aura but mostly without. I hate auras. I'm so glad I don't have them with all migraines. I take maxalt 10mg. for mine and it works. I really don't want injections or infusions to prevent. I average 7 migraines a month or sometimes less.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so sorry you have had this experience. I am glad to share! Thanks for being here!

[@mjinba07]

I'd had regular migraines every couple of years throughout my life. Then, during perimenopause, the ocular migraines without pain started and occurred frequently. They stopped after a few years so I think hormonal changes were key, at least for me. Thank goodness for sage advice from a good doctor. It saved me a lot of worry.

[@elainehardy3502]

@@DrRupaWong Thank-you ♥️♥️

[@l.c.345]

Clearest yet most succinct and comprehensive explanation of these type of migraines that I have ever heard. I didn't even realize there were three types and I have been suffering since the 1990s and even my ophthalmologist did not differentiate between the three, thank you 🙏

[@DrRupaWong]

Thank you so much! Glad to help. I'm sorry you suffer from these.

[@TheDutchDetector]

I have ocular migraine without headache. I see the zigzagging/geometric shapes in one eye. I have the blind spot too. I see the shapes when i shut my eyes too

[@DrRupaWong]

That’s the worst I’m so sorry!

[@redfireempress]

I am so glad someone is speaking on this subject! I have retinal migraines and it was so scary when I first got them. They would come on so suddenly and it felt like no one could help me. I went to multiple drs and everyone was treating them as regular migraines. I had extensive tests and nothing. Luckily one day my glasses had broken during one migraine and I had an emergency appointment with the eye doctor. She truly saved my life because she was the only one who figured out how to help me.

[@DrRupaWong]

Thank you for letting me know your experience. I am glad to share what I know. It has also impacted me and I know how hard it is! Thank you for watching!

[@sanyokitty3975]

So how did she help you?

[@redfireempress]

@@sanyokitty3975 She explained the possible triggers of this type of migraine. When she did I started to examine my daily life. Found out I was extremely stressed and on the wrong type of birth control. Once I started to keep my stress down and changed my birth control I hadn’t had a migraine since. But that was for me because everyone’s body is different a different remedy maybe needed for someone else.

[@charizard9735]

How long had you been experiencing retinal migraines?

[@redfireempress]

@@charizard9735 I believe they started in 2009 and they just kept getting worse. I didn’t get to find out what they were until 2016.

[@karenkernell9405]

I have pain-free auras in both eyes that last between 20-30 minutes. They start as a bright zig-saggy ball of light in the center of my visual field. Gradually the ball spreads out into a flickering ring that gradually enlarges and eventually recedes out of sight.

[@indiegogogirl2662]

Same here.

[@YY4Me133]

@Karen Kernell You said a "ball" of light, but is it actually a circle? I ask because, if you did mean circle, it sounds like one of the aura I experience.

[@judyfultz5395]

Same here, it starts out at the side of my eye and spreads across the eye. And I have pain after the aura goes away.

[@savagerat27]

Omg I’ve been trying to figure out wtf I’ve been having!!! This has been going on for 4 years and I had no idea… I’m so glad I found out I’m not the only one. 😭😭

[@stevesullivan233]

Had these for so many years I can’t remeber!

[@darkstarr984]

I has been getting an increasing degree of ocular migraines (which sometimes includes moments of blindness across my entire field of vision). Despite having almost normal vision (20/25) and only mild astigmatism, glasses correcting the astigmatism have been incredibly helpful to reduce my migraines down to those triggered by food and hormonal cycles!

[@DrRupaWong]

The blindness is so scary. Many people have also said they are triggered by food and hormones. Thank you so much for sharing and for being here!

[@keithnaylor1981]

It is amazing to read that you have had total loss of vision. It once happened to me for about one minute and I never connected it to a symptom of migraines! It was terrifying. Darkness just came upon my vision.

[@penscruffy60]

Th😅is info with responses have been helpful & reassuring

[@phychicmusic]

I was starting to freak out before watching your videos. I feel better now. Explains a lot! Thank you! I have had temporary clouded vision loss in one eye at a time. I have had migraines almost every day of my life!

[@DrRupaWong]

So glad to help! Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@RTWGraphics]

The 1st time I had one I freaked out. Now it's just more of a nuisance.

[@Lostinstarsss]

This is the first time I actually felt someone understood my migraine symptoms! Excellent video with so much helpful information and details! I definitely suffer from ocular migraines and mine seem to stem from hormone changes, stress, and anxiety.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so glad you were able to watch something that you can relate with. Thank you for letting me know. I'm sorry you suffer from this.

[@dellzywillis3001]

I have had migraines for as long as I can remember. The doctor told my mother I just didn't know how to express myself. As I would get them around birthdays and Christmas really bad and would have to go to bed after all the excitement. As an adult taking CoQ10 200 mg not for migraines but because I heard it was good for your heart seemed to really curve those migraines. Now I would always get what I called Kaleidoscope vision, no doctor ever knew what I was talking about this is the very first time I've ever seen anything that address that. My mother had also always had the floaters and someone told her oh that your eyeball deteriorating I was mortified by this. This goes to show how little people really know. Thank you for this video clears up a lot of things

[@DrRupaWong]

I am glad you were able to find something that helps lessen the migraines. I'm very sorry the doctor was not able to give your mother the correct medical advice on your behalf. I'm really glad to help. Thank you for letting me know. 💛

[@jayumble8390]

Ask you Doctor or Neurologist to consider the drug Propranolol. I suffered with migraines for 30 years...went to a Neurologist and he had me try a drug (forget the name of this drug because, well it didn't work for me) and then we tried Propranolol. It's been a year and a half now and I haven't had a migraine since starting on this drug. I know that everyone responds differently to drugs but it's worth a try.

[@ronanderson5790]

I have had that kaleidoscope type of colors that resembles a fractal changing shape & color for as long as I can remember. I'm 72. One Opthomoligist told me it was because of doing drugs in the 60's! Never did that & never went back to him. In 2009, I was driving home through our small town (25 mph) and a gray 'curtain' came down in my vision in both eyes for what seemed a long time but maybe only 30sec or so. I went to a Cardiologist, Neurologist & Opthomoligist. Nothing certain but that was the first time I ever heard of an ocular migraine. Now I don't see the colors any more but when I get up at night I see concentric yellow circles on black background. Less often now. My first migraine headache happened in college after being at a hockey game - ice & bright lights. Those headaches only happened until I was 35ish. All of Dr Wong's video & everyone's comments are very helpful. (This may come as from Ron but this is actually his wife.) -Gaye

[@dellzywillis3001]

@@ronanderson5790 they are helping,Gaye! I couldn't understand why not one person knew what I was talking about. My son is 27yrs old I seems to have inherited my migraines but only when he is very stressed. But I can tell him what I found and about what good people like you shared. That sounded very scary when driving and a curtain came down. I'm glad you are well and found this video. Have a wonderful night. Thank you for sharing

[@ronanderson5790]

@@dellzywillis3001 Thanks for your nice comment. Yes, the 2009 incident was terrifying as I was going through a school crossing. Thankfully school was cancelled that day& no one around except other drivers. When I could see again I sure got a lot of dirty looks. My oldest daughter (47) has had migraine headaches & ocular ones as well since college. She recently mentioned that she has been getting botox every 3 months and recently tried accupunture. With botox, she says she has a migraine only once a month now. I hope this may help your son and you, too. Gaye

[@Kinypshun]

I have no idea why this video was recommended but I'm near tears. I actually went to ER several years ago after a particularly bad episode and was turned away with nothing. I've had the opthalmic migraines for years - I get them more often under stress at work. I used to get the horrible ice-pick pain but that stopped when I was about 50(61 now). The zig zag and partial blindness and water-blur remains, with no pain. The dry-eye connection is also mind-blowing. I have Sjogren's and several other autoimmune disorders and my eyes are so dry that I can't tolerate Restasis. Evoxac pills helped, but can't take them since my heart attack. Thank you Dr. Wong. You made a difference in my life today - subscribed!

[@DrRupaWong]

🥺🥺🥺 Thank you so much, Lynn. I'm sorry you were not given the medical advice you needed to begin with. I truly appreciate you being here. ❤

[@HulaHula667]

I was about to comment how grateful I was about finding out the dry eye connection. I have Sjögren’s and some other “fun” autoimmune conditions that I have only relatively recently been diagnosed with. I’m still learning how everything fits in with the broken jigsaw puzzle that’s my body. I’m 41 now but I was diagnosed with migraines just before my 8th birthday. I’m currently taking an anti epileptic for my migraines as the prophylactic and am stuck on the NHS waiting list to restart Botox again. That’s the best combination I’ve found that works for me so far, as I am not allowed to take Triptans. I’m currently hovering around the 20-25ish per month mark. I know that sounds like the prophylactic isn’t working, but it’s made it so that I’m normally only loosing 1 day a week on average to a migraine and I can struggle through the rest. Before it was 3-4 days lost.

[@JJ-jl1ge]

Check out Dr Berg videos for dry eyes, might be a big help for you.

[@MozarkAdventures]

Been trying to figure out what and why I'm experiencing what I now know as ophthalmic migraine. Never have any pain. Sometimes I'll go months with no symptoms then they might come a few times within a week. Typically see orbs or streamers is the best I can describe. Thanks for the information, now I k ow how to convey it to others.

[@DrRupaWong]

I am so glad to have helped, but sorry you have to go through migraines!

[@MrAizakku]

I've had those auras intermittently with no headache since 2004; they come rarely and are very annoying when they're here. I like the animation you used for the auras as it looks exactly like how you've depicted it. 🙂

[@DrRupaWong]

Thank you, Isaac! I'm glad this helped!

[@hectormorales8895]

Do you know why they happen?

[@i2pjd6hRw5P]

Me too. I experienced it last Wednesday and have been trying to figure out the cause. I live in the US so I can't get my eyes checked by a doctor.

[@DrRupaWong]

@@i2pjd6hRw5P I'm so sorry you are experiencing this and not able to see a doctor. I hope this video helped you some!

[@altijdhogerdanjij3758]

@@i2pjd6hRw5P coud be a stroke aswell

[@alittleSouthernBrothers]

I am so glad I have found this video. My son (14) has been dealing with this for a year. We have not been able to get any help to find out what it is. Is has caused him so much anxiety. It scares him so bad when this happens. I am sooooo thankful you made this video.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm sorry you and your son have been dealing with this. It can be so hard when our kids are scared or in pain. I'm glad this was helpful.

[@alittleSouthernBrothers]

@@DrRupaWong yes, I shared this with him and it has made him feel so much better. Thank you, Thank you!!

[@DrRupaWong]

@@alittleSouthernBrothers 💖💖

[@KKing55]

I think mine is related to fall allergys. the tree fall elm, maybe.

[@martiriggs2003]

I started having these after suffering a vertebral stroke due to a dissection in my brain stem artery between C1 and C2. Totally misdiagnosed by 4 doctors. After experiencing an ocular aura along with hindered speech I thought it was another stroke. Since then my neurologist has prescribed me to increase my magnesium and add B2 and also Alpha Lipoic Acid. Happy to say two years later and through trial and error I have learned my triggers and the auras are under control. Good luck to everyone who suffers from these. One major factor is to stay hydrated.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so sorry you were misdiagnosed. This is already a difficult condition and to be not understood can be very stressful. I am thankful you identified your triggers. Thank you for sharing.

[@Texan27]

My daughter was diagnosed at 5 with ocular migraines along with two other types of migraines. Thank you for explaining.

[@jeanne-marie8196]

Thank you so much. I have several ophthalmic migraines a year, but when the number increased to several times a week, I was directed to a neurological ophthalmologist and was reassured that all was benign. I suffer (and that is the EXACT term!) from migraines, first diagnosed when I was aged nine, for days at a time. Mine are on the right side, and I learned early on that when the vision blurred in my left eye, a migraine was less then an hour away. As I am now 70, I know that medications have improved, but at the time I was either violently throwing up, or in a darkened room for days. I have had many medical interventions for dry eye syndrome, and the ophthalmic migraines are back to about one a month. There was no cause found for the surge. I’m glad that you found some relief. Whenever someone says “Oh, I get headaches all the time.”, I know they have never experienced a migraine. It is not just a headache! If you are unfortunate enough to have migraines, seek medical help! It is literally life changing.

[@DrRupaWong]

You are so right, Jeanne-Marie. Headaches and migraines are not the same. 😔 Thank you so much for sharing your experience. 💘

[@dantiiik1]

I suffer from ocular migraine since I was born. I always feel it's coming usually, I see a bright spot moving in my eyesight from one side to another and then it's just matter of when it starts. When I was younger, I had migraines like 10 times per month. After consulting my doctor, I have started to do everything regularly sleeping, eating, sport activity, and now I have like 2 migraines per month. The worst part about ocular migraine is that you can't even see in 3D, you just partially see space around you. It's dangerous when you drive a car for example. I can't even read properly because those stuff I see during aura doesn't allow me to. The aura lasts about an hour, and then there is 10 minute window before my head starts to hurt.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so sorry you have suffered from these since you were born. They are so hard to live with! Thank you for being here and for sharing with us.

[@BARAKABLESSING]

That is exactly what I was diagnosed with today. I wish there was anything to help that. I just stop everything I am doing when it starts and go to bed till the following day.

[@bryn6000]

I have the symptoms of opthalmic migraine, an aura, shimmering spot in both eyes which grows into a crescent shape affecting significant areas of vision, lasting approximately half an hour, with no headache whatsoever. I've had these episodes since my mid teens, was examined by a consultant opthalmologist at age 16 but no diagnosis was reached. It's only recently I discovered that it's a form of migraine. I'm now in my 70s and have had more episodes recently. They were rare in my 30s, 40s & 50s.

[@DrRupaWong]

Hey David! I'm sorry you have struggled with this for most of your life. I can relate. I am thankful you were able to get a diagnosis. Thank you for sharing with us. 💗

[@suzieparis6821]

Mine were from working under the florecent lights at walmart

[@suzieparis6821]

And dehydration

[@indiegogogirl2662]

Same. I get them about once a year. I also think dehydration is what brings mine on. They last about 45 mins. If they happen when I’m driving I have to pull over because of the tunnel vision

[@mobilephil244]

Me too. Everyone seemed to know it was a migraine but they all refused to believe I wasn’t getting any pain

[@catyone-o5d]

I only had a few Ocular migraines just in the last year. My doctor diagnosed me with it and told me he has them. He said, Hard to believe something in your brain causes zigzag in your vision. Just had one this morning. I looked at my phone and had a weird missing spot then closed my eyes and saw this tiny twinkling spot that got bigger and disappeared. I sit down close my eyes try to not panic and let it pass usually 20 minutes. Slight sinus headache after.

[@DrRupaWong]

@@catyone-o5d Thank you for sharing your experience! It is such a weird feeling.

[@laurawillits176]

I get the sparkly zig zag variety, no pain. I drew a bunch of pictures for my doctor, and that's how she diagnosed it. I used to get the horrible painful ones before menopause, with the only visual symptom being that shadows might be more purple than usual. Thanks for this video! Reading the comments has been really reassuring

[@DrRupaWong]

Drawing a picture is a great idea. I'm so sorry you have suffered from this. Thank you so much for being here and sharing with us. I'm so glad the comments gave you some peace!

[@renjomandi143]

I went to my eye doctor and he said that everything seems to be okay, my eyes are healthy..Then, i saw your vid and found that what i did experience was an ophthalmic migraine. Thank you for this very informative video doc!🥰

[@dgtams]

Same here. Did you freak out when it happened the first time?

[@l0raxbread438]

I’m surprised you didn’t mentioned bright light and acute reflections of light as a trigger. I’m convinced that is what initiates my aura migraines 90% of the time.

[@DrRupaWong]

Carlos, thank for your feedback and for sharing your experience! That is interesting. You definitely know your body better than anyone else and it is great you have learned your trigger. I hope that can help you avoid them for the most part.

[@l0raxbread438]

@@DrRupaWong Thank you for replying Dr. Wong! I wish I knew how to avoid that trigger, but it just happens without me having any knowledge at the onset. 😞 I had the worst one this morning after dropping my daughter off at school this bright sunny morning and I ended up in her school parking lot for the next 2 hours because I couldn’t drive. And yes, I also have those floaters everywhere. Very annoying sometimes. Thanks so much for taking the time to address this. Not much information out there on this subject because it’s such an unknown as far as what specifically causes these.

[@DrRupaWong]

@@l0raxbread438 I'm so sorry, Carlos. That is so hard. I am glad that I could at least share some awareness on this.

[@3000ryu]

@@l0raxbread438 I think I have the same thing. I don’t know what causes it! I just bought a glucose meter I’m looking into maybe low blood sugar is causing my migraines.

[@asilalguess4571]

same. bright lights like camera flash and reflection of light,

[@druickd]

Thank you. This was very helpful for someone who just had just experienced his first visual migraine says the age of 76. Both eyes were affected and there was a slight headache and fatigue that followed.

[@DrRupaWong]

@@druickd I am glad to have helped, but sorry to hear you had an ocular migraine!

[@neils123]

I know it's been a while since this was uploaded, but I wanted to say that this was very informative. I get opthalmic migraines (aura - generally shimmering multi-colored lights - with no pain) a few times a year, but luckily I've never had a migraine with actual pain. The first time it happened, many years ago, I thought I was losing my vision! I had no idea what was going on, but smartly I went to my eye doctor and she explained what had happened. I find, for me, certain lighting conditions can trigger it, as can certain kinds of busy visual fields, but I don't really find the various foods you mentioned triggering (thank goodness!). Thanks for this!

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so sorry you suffer from this as well. Thank you so much for sharing and for being here!

[@C.isfor.Christal]

Mine are more silent as well with auras that are triggered too with lights especially when waking up and seeing my phone in the dark, driving in the dark and catching the taillights/headlights or fluorescent lighting.

[@lovelyweeburd]

@DrRupaWong Thank you for such a great comprehensive video - it took me a long time to work out what was happening and find a medical term (aura) for it, and even then I've not found such a helpful video on the topic until I found your one today! I get ophthalmic migraines (silent migraine with aura) and have found that taking 25mg of Quetiapine (Seroquel) when they begin makes them stop - what do you think to that as a solution, Dr Rupa? I'm autistic with ADHD and really can't cope with an hour of riding out the aura due to the sensory overload, as it's both eyes but also in my head (I can still see the aura flashing if I close my eyes, and my mind feels confused). My aura triggers are very similar to @neils123 and @starbucksjunkay, especially with sudden changes in light (particularly blue fluorescent light), flashing/strobe light, sudden changes in ambient temperature (e.g. walking in the dark/cold and then entering a warm, brightly lit place) ...and plain old stress. This means I have up to 7 in a week. I get normal migraines as well (extreme light sensitivity, intense pain in my head and vomiting), though they're less frequent. The green liquid-gel capsule Advils (or any liquid-gel capsule ibuprofen) work really well for those, as long as I recognise it coming on quickly enough to take the Advil. I've had my eyes dilated and checked by my ophthalmologist; and my psychiatrist has consulted with a neurologist: verdict from these specialists is my auras are caused by pre-seizure electrical activity in my brain, without going on to become a proper seizure. (edited to correct spelling of ophthalmic and ophthalmologist!)

[@HarrySmith-hr2iv]

This was brilliant. Thank you Dr. Rupa Wong. Finally after 70 living years on Planet Earth I've finally discovered what I have been suffering from. I first went to my doctor in 1963 at age 13, complaining of severe headaches and flashing zig-zagging lights, which lasted about an hour. They had no answer or name for my affliction. But at 73 now at last I know it's called ocular migraine (with flashing zig zag lights accompanied with just a slight headache.) Dr. Rupa Wong you seem to take a lot of medication for your ocular migraine!! By the time I was 30 (1980) I found I could gain considerable relief using Buddhist meditation which is a psychology and philosophy, and not necessarily just a religion, altho' it can be. It is ironic that I'm an Anglo-Saxon-Celtic UK citizen but I use Buddhist meditation and psychology to reduce stress. I take no medication for my slight ocular migraine.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so sorry you were never able to be diagnosed accurately. Thank you for sharing what helps you. I appreciate you being here. 💘

[@413smr]

I was in my '60s when the first one happened. Then a couple more in the next few months... since then, 10 years at least - nothing.

[@AKHWJ3ST]

I only learned the name of my occular migraines in my forties. I don't remember exactly when. I didn't have occular migraines before that time. I have lots of triggers and they are all differnt and cause different lights and shapes.

[@emmajennings4572]

I had never heard about the migraine/floaters connection before! I typically get 6 migraines per month. I also have floaters that I find very distracting, especially when reading. Interesting to learn about the connection!

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so glad to share, Emma! Thanks for being here :)

[@MrTomengle]

I have had Ocular Migraines since 1995. I have blurry vision and blind spots. If I am driving, I immediatley stop and have to wait them out. Fortunatly I dont have them very often but enough to know what they are. You are the first YT Doctor to mention them and I thank you.

[@DrRupaWong]

Definitely best to pull over. That must be scary. So sorry! I'm glad to spread awareness.

[@Shontalemarie]

Thank you so much for this video! I experienced an aura out of one eye with no headache, and no one knew what i was talking about. I called my eye doctor’s office and just received very little concern about it. This explanation really helps me; I have floaters, occasional migraines with pain in one eye, etc. The triggers you’ve mentioned and some of the solutions to help manage really add some context for me and help me to understand how to be my own best advocate. It’s also nice to know I’m not dying or seeing something supernatural 😂. I’m joking but very serious. Thanks again. I’ve never heard of this before, so it was hard to find information at first.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm glad you have a name to put with it now. I hope you don't have another migraine. Thank you so much for sharing! 🌸

[@Zynbabwe902]

Thank you doctor, I am 22 and just had my 3rd migraine yesterday at work. My symptoms always start with blind spots in my vision which leads to nausea and a crippling headache. Yesterday I had to drive home 1.5 hrs with a migraine and I actually started crying because of the pain. I should go to the doctor to get checked out thank you so much!

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so sorry, Zynn. That sounds really hard. Yes, it would probably be best to go see a doctor. 🤎

[@perisk2237]

Hi.. Having the same problem for a month now

[@christineramsey5572]

Thank you for this video! The pictures of auras and the underwater view is exactly what I have, I've never seen any other video show it so realisticallly. I've had painful migraines all my life, with auras usually. Now I'm 71 and in surgical menopause and when my hormones dropped my painful migraines went away but I still get the ocular auras. They start as a tight ball in the center of my vision and I also sometimes have the underwater vision. I usually can't see whatever I am looking at, but have peripheral vision. Then as time goes by (20-40 minutes) the tight ball starts widening out to a ring that gets bigger and eventually works itself into my peripheral vision and the straight ahead vision returns to normal. Then the aura leaves my peripheral field of vision entirely. If I am driving I know to pull over and wait it out. I am so glad you are getting some relief finally. None of the things you mentioned worked for me when I was younger.

[@ANDY123SON]

When I first started expirencing visual migraines I was just getting towards the end of high school, I genuinely thought I was going blind and was terrified. Thank you for this video, it was very informative and helpful 💜

[@DrRupaWong]

Glad to help!! Thank you for watching. :)

[@PatrickSmith]

The exact same thing happened to me, in high school. I'm 65 and I still get these opthalmic migraines. No headache. Last about 15-45 minutes. Just the symptoms described in the video. No eye doc has seen anything unusual.

[@judytaylor3099]

Thank you very much for this information. I have had ocular migraines for over forty years. Thankfully, no pain, but occasionally feel slightly nauseous after the aura moves out of my line of vision. I rarely have a painful “regular” headaches. I am thankful for that!

[@TheNovaNorm]

I'm an ophthalmic migraine sufferer but rarely have a headache (diagnosed by my eye doctor). They last about 30 minutes and it looks like when I was a kid looking up through a glass coffee table. Like there was a water drop that slowly spreads out and then is gone once it reaches the edge of my vision. I really appreciate you making this video.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm glad to share. Thanks for letting me know your experience with these migraines. If you have anything else you would like me to discuss feel free to leave a suggestion anytime. 😊

[@helenamurphy6054]

Thank you for your insight into Optical migraine I notice I get it in bright sunlight so now I use sunglasses in winter sunshine

[@rlarsen000]

This was a very informative and detailed presentation. I have had ocular migraines since age 19. Thankfully the headaches tailed off after about twenty years. The shimmering, squiggly, C-shaped auras continue over fifty years later without pain. I was shocked when you said you had up to 15 in a month! Perhaps time will afford you relief, also.

[@DrRupaWong]

Thank you so much, Rick! The injectable medication has really helped me. I'm so sorry you also struggle with this. I appreciate you being here and sharing your experience.

[@elaineheath5226]

I think this is what I just experienced! I was sitting on the floor trying to replace my storm door closer arm & had to really exert alot of strength because the screws were super tight. All of a sudden I got the worst headache & I noticed areas of zig zag shapes in my vision. Scared me silly & I swore that I was having a stroke. I took a hot bath & it resolved the zig zag shapes & the headache eased up significantly. Still have a dull headache. I think that I’ll call my eye doctor just to be safe.

[@susancrawford2343]

I've only had an ocular migraine once and it was an horrific experience. It started out with blindness in my right eye and then moved on to the aura. It then transitioned to the most debilitating migraine I've ever had in my life. It was a 3 hour drive home - I was not driving - and I was seriously out of it the whole trip. The weather that day was cloudy and rainy and I believe that did affect my migraine.

[@DrRupaWong]

I am glad you were not driving. That could've been dangerous. 🥺 Thank you for sharing. ❤

[@whatsthatnow7466]

A drop in the barometer can trigger my aura migraines

[@susancrawford2343]

@@DrRupaWong Thank you and, I would not have been capable to drive that day under any circumstance! Very frightening experience!

[@susancrawford2343]

@@whatsthatnow7466 it can definitely cause me to have a migraine, too!

[@iam_trinikimmy]

Listen, this is the best explanation I have ever heard in the 15 years that I have been having these migraines, so THANK YOU Dr. Wong! I also had migraines more than 15 days a month. I have the aura, usually with no pain & that is a sign for me to take my meds. I usually also become very clumsy & I start dropping things and bumping into furniture. I also need a quiet, dark room. I would also get very weak in the knees, experience mood swings and general fatigue. I have tried Relpax, but nothing beyond that. Acupuncture would help a lot. The nausea would get so bad that I would end up in the ER because I would throw up everything and could not swallow the pain pills or even the water, it was bad. I also have Endometriosis and Adenomyosis, so just before and after periods, my migraines would be worse. I have since had surgery and my migraines persist, but I will say they are way less painful and do not last as long. I now just have about 4 Panadol extra strength pills & try to have a rest. Again thank you so much for the explanation. Love from Trinidad & Tobago.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so glad to help! Thank you so much for letting me know this was helpful and sharing your experience. I'm sorry you struggle with these migraines too!

[@dianepeker]

I’ve had migraines since I was a child until approximately 10 years ago. I am 75 now. I got floaters a a few years ago in my right eye and started occasionally to have these zigzag, I guess, auras in the same eye which lasts for a max of maybe 3 minutes. I never new why. I had no headache with it. I thank you for this explanation. ❤

[@TaraFinlay]

I get ophthalmic migraines every few years, and they seem related to my b12 shots. I have pernicious anemia, and I got my first occular migraine the day after my first b12 shot. I then got another one after my second shot a week later. Then years went by with nothing. My husband gave me my b12 shot last night and I am having an ophthalmic migraine right now. They are bilateral and last about 15 minutes, and resemble that shimmery watery example you gave. I never have pain. I got regular painful migraines without aura prior to menopause.

[@heloisaatthis7221]

Very very helpful. Clear and reassuring. It is unusual to have a doctor giving advice about medical problems they know because they experience them themselves. Thank you so much, Dr. Wong. I suffer from ocular migraines, the aura kind, but not frequent and painless; otherwise I suffer from ARMD for which I get regular treatment. I have also started to experience a kind of numbness around the eye zone and I duly will mention the fact to my doctor at my next visit thanks to your video. Thank you for being a true doctor, caring about patients.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm glad to help. I love learning and sharing. I'm sorry you struggle with these. Thank you for sharing so we all know we aren't alone in this. ❣

[@DonzLockz]

I've had them for nearly 50yrs. I get the aura's usually with a dull headache but I take strong daily pain meds. Before I had pain killers daily, I'd get them with super bad headaches that last 2 days. Anxiety with bright lights, phone screens, TV screens or bright reflections while driving triggers them normally. Sometimes I get them just as I'm waking up so not sure what that's about. Great video, very helpful for my wife who has just started getting them, she was freaking out but I helped her through it.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so glad to help. I'm sorry you and your wife struggle with these. Wishing you both all the best in 2023!

[@deancary6676]

Thanks for clearing up this mystery for me. I have experienced what you have described as ophthalmic migraines occasionally for most of my life. The triggers are a mix of stress/anxiety and dehydration. Their duration is usually around 15 minutes, but can last as little as 5 minutes or as long as 45 minutes. One thing not mentioned in the video is rather than pain, I always experience a feeling tightness around my skull at eye level, like there is a tight-fitting metal band around the circumference of my head.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so glad you are able to put a name to what you are experiencing now. It can be so frustrating to now know what is going on with your body. Next time you go to the doctor let them know you are having these. Thank you for sharing and I appreciate you being here!

[@BreMue]

Yes! This!! It's tough explaining that I have migraines "with no pain" because I feel like people think im making things up (or worse sometimes I think maybe It's all in my head) Don't get aura per se but it feels like my eyes are trying to shut themselves down and that tight band feeling too! Every once in a whole I get true pain, but it's something different for me most the time. Stress/anxiety/(and I am starting to think dehydration as well) are major factors

[@cathybrodie5721]

All through my teenage years and early 20s I had migraines - debilitating pain that felt like a poker through my left eye. I did an elimination diet and discovered I was wheat intolerant. I cut wheat out, and no more migraines. These days I can eat some wheat, but seem to have a threshold - once I go over it by eating too much wheat, i get a migraine two days later.

[@DrRupaWong]

Sorry you struggle with this! I am glad you have identified a trigger.

[@TheJustineCredible]

I don't get painful migraines as often as I used to but at one point, I remember having a floater that was particularly bothersome. It was the first time I'd encountered this and thought it was significant. A Co-Worker had also noticed that one of my pupils was dilated much more than the other. So, I made an appointment with an ophthalmologist. He did the whole works, dilated exam, everything. He asked me if I suffered from migraines. At the time I was still encountering pretty painful ones and answered affirmatively. He explained that my floater and the unilateral dilation of my pupils were related to my migraines. I've never heard anyone else mention the dilation thing before.

[@DrRupaWong]

Did the floater resolve? If it did, did the migraines also resolve once the floater resolved? I'm so sorry you had such painful migraines. Thank you for sharing.

[@KM-mv3qr]

Floaters are not related to migraines. You have been misinformed.

[@mama_pluis]

My daughter of 7 complained about pain in her eyes and throbbing headaches. As a migraine sufferer myself I recognised this as a migraine, the same steps helped her and after a day resting it was gone. I'm glad I came across your video, I do think it's better to get it checked out.

[@DrRupaWong]

Sorry to hear that. Its so hard when our babies are hurting! Yes, it is always better to get checked out.

[@lindabarnes4128]

I had strange visual activity going on and I mentioned this to my opthamologist during my yearly exam.. After carefully looking at my eye health, she was very concerned that I was going to have a stroke. The next day I did have a stroke and ended up in the hospital on my birthday. That was six years ago. After 17 hospitalizations and several strokes I have learned all my triggers and what food to eat. I had to learn what meds would work, what side effects I had to tolerate, and a routine that would help me avoid future strokes, which apparently run in my family. This video helps me to understand better how to watch for impending issues.

[@patrasculaura8988]

Hi, Linda! I'm sorry to hear about what you've been through, I also had a stroke 4 years ago and many ocular migranes prior to that. If you could share what kind of medication you found works for you, I'd really appreciate it. I've been on Aspirin all these years, but it has too many side effects. I'm thinking about switching to Pycnogenol, but I have a feeling my doctor will not be on the same page. Stay healthy and strong!

[@lindabarnes4128]

@@patrasculaura8988 I no longer have to take prescribed meds but I have to limit my screen time. My eyes are adversely affected by the light of any screen. It's fortunate I'm retired or it would make work life tricky. I practice silent meditation three times a day for a few minutes. I didn't like the side effects of the prescribed meds and tried every other "natural" opportunity to decrease my stress. Now I live in a state with legal cannabis and I find that helps calm my brain too.

[@patrasculaura8988]

@@lindabarnes4128 Thank you so much for replying!

[@amos083]

Thanks for giving a name for what I have! It seems that it's an Ophthalmic migraine -- no pain, only blinking zigzags arranged in a widening circle. This happen once a month or two, especially in warm hazy weather just before a warm weather front -- even when I'm indoors.

[@DrRupaWong]

Any time! So sorry you suffer with this too.

[@bobbiecrawford8967]

What you describe is exactly what I have. How long do yours usually last? 12:07

[@amos083]

@@bobbiecrawford8967 Usually about half an hour.

[@lizbebereia5163]

Had an ocular migraine this morning. Took Excederin just in case. No headache. Went away in about 15 minutes. 😵‍💫

[@DrRupaWong]

I’m sorry you had to go through that. Ocular migraines are awful.

[@youngmusic29]

Wow this is so helpful. I started having ocular migraines 15 yrs ago and was just told it was hormonal. The computer aura images you show are exactly what I see and for the first time I could show my husband what I was experiencing. The dry eye connection was mind blowing because I have Sjogren’s. Thank you! I now understand what has been a mystery to me

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm glad to help, Paula! I hope linking the dry eyes and migraines can be helpful in some sort of way. Wishing you all the best in 2023! 💘

[@temp_unknown]

It's super frustrating that no one ever mentions sugar or carbs as a migraine trigger, it took me YEARS to find my triggers because of that. I regularly partake of other 'trigger' foods and I haven't had a migraine in months, but before, it was bimonthly if not once a week. Pain relief never helped, even high dose ibuprofen. I've always had that zigzag 'racing ants' type of aura which is a helpful warning to finish what I'm doing so I can go somewhere dark and quiet.

[@DrRupaWong]

Thank you for sharing your triggers! Hopefully someone else can relate.

[@psprentice5728]

Interesting. I am 72 and have had opthalmic migraines with no headaches since about age 45. Usually one a month. I eat a lots of the foods she mentioned as aggravating migraines. Seven months ago I had a lung blood clot and during blood testing they discovered diabetes. I love sweets and carbs. I mean big time. I have drastically reduced both of those because of the diabetes diagnosis. Here is the interesting part. I haven't had a migraine since my diet change,

[@helendennis7662]

My aura/ocular migraines (my dr called them focal point migraines)are 100% blood sugar related, been having them since I was a teenager. Swapped from combined contraceptive pill to progesterone only, didn’t really make a difference. Then a couple of years ago I went on a lower carb Mediterranean diet, incl Time restricted eating with 16 hr overnight fasts, lost a few stone, and they stopped.

[@ShaqleeToine10.02]

Yes my migraines have been reduced since I started reducing my sugar intake...

[@ethanheyne]

Sugar alone doesn't guarantee a migraine for me, but it certainly makes me more susceptible to one, possibly because a large dose of sugar can cause generalized inflammation, and may interfere with your zinc levels (I don't know if that factor influences migraines). A friend of mine in school was getting migraines progressively more often, finally quit drinking Coca Cola (she'd been drinking a LOT of it) and stopped having the migraines. Don't know if that was because of the sugar, some other ingredient, or the dehydration that comes from drinking lots of caffeine instead of water.

[@KerisPee]

Thank u!! My eye Dr just told me it was an eye migraine, nothing to worry abt & sent me on my way. I was so overwhelmed that I accepted that until my next one. I experience the aura that looks like a kaleidoscope ring. Sometimes I get a slight dull headache with them, sometimes not. Haven't really found anyone that explained it well until now, so thank u.

[@DrRupaWong]

So sorry you struggle with these. I'm glad this was helpful! Thank you for sharing and for watching!

[@travellingwitch]

Thank you!!! I’ve been having migraines for about 20 years. They take the form of the ice pick through the right side of the forehead. They either go away with medication or they need me to go to bed and sleep it off. Never found a trigger :( but recently they’ve been getting a lot worse and the thing I’ve been trying to describe to my doctor is exactly what you showed in the ocular migraines part. The strange blurry band around the edge of your visual field. I can go back to my doctor prepared now :)

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so glad this was helpful! It can be really hard to explain. I hope you get some relief soon.

[@brendaenglish2477]

I’ve had frequent chronic migraines for 47 years (since I was 10). I thought I knew all there was to know about them. I learned a few new things today. Thank you for doing this. I do suffer from dry eye. I’m going to talk to my eye doctor about a better treatment. Currently, I just use refresh eye drops which doesn’t help for long. Thank you! Thank you!

[@a.s.3676]

I recommend to you Oliver Sacks' book Migraine!

[@AKHWJ3ST]

My migraines and menieres started when I was about 8. I remember in first grade trying to color my page and it was very difficult because of these wiggly lines in brilliant colors that kept getting in my way!

[@DrRupaWong]

I hope treating the dry eyes helps. 🙏

[@DrRupaWong]

@@a.s.3676 Thanks for sharing!

[@DrRupaWong]

@@AKHWJ3ST Wow! Starting all the way at 8 years old. So sorry. Thank you for sharing with us.

[@praise8195]

Thank you for all this great information! I started getting migraines since I was 8(when I first got my glasses) so I just always assumed everyone with glasses had them too😆 Turns out its been retinal migraine 😵‍💫

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so glad you got diagnosed. Migraines are the worst. I hope you find some treatments that help.

[@Edward_the_black_knight]

I had the same. Migraine stopped when I quit using my glasses 🤓

[@ncarlson80]

My migraines are always in my right eye and my eye twitches right before I get one. Bright lights, smells, and sounds are a trigger for me. I finally think I know what kind of migraine I get now - retinal. I've looked for eons online trying to find out what's going on. I've suffered with headaches my whole life and really bad migraines the last few years. Thank you for this video! Now I need to make an appointment with my eye doctor.

[@the_resourceful]

My first migraine occurred around age 12-13. Key hormonal time in my life. Auric migraine's have been few and far between but quite disturbing and have usually been triggered by stress. Hormones and stress. Stay well my fellow migraine sufferers.✨

[@DrRupaWong]

Thanks for sharing! So sorry you have had to deal with that.

[@deborahjuncos8349]

As a former ophthalmic nurse married to a neurologist, I found this excellent. Several years ago as I was chatting with my ophthalmologist boss I noticed the wallpaper seemed to be dancing. Oh, he said, that is an ophthalmic migraine. Ask your husband about it. I have had them on and off for years fortunately without a headache. I was delighted to see you address this. Well done!

[@DrRupaWong]

Thank you, Deborah. I am glad to share. I hope it helps.

[@grandmajane2593]

I've had that sensation of little things moving too. If I happen to be staring at a particular place or thing I will start to to think it (whatever it is) is moving and I'd strain to see it better and decide if it is really moving or is it my eyesight. Its interesting to hear that someone else has experienced this. I wonder if its a tremor of my eyes.

[@karenjensen6566]

Yes, it started when I was living in Saudi Arabia. My contract did not allow me to use the doctors in the hospital but I chatted with the head of neurology about my one eye watering and the pain. The pain was only located around my right eye within the orbital bone. He suggested that I pay attention to how much water I was drinking and it worked! The headaches went away as soon as I stopped camping in the desert on weekends and drank water constantly.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so glad you found your trigger, Karen! Water is so important. 💦

[@elmerhobbit1130]

I had an ocular migraine about 25 years ago. I had a retinal detachment about a year earlier and it really scared me because I thought it was detaching again. I was so relieved when it went away about 30 minutes later. I did not have any headache, just jagged red and green lines across my field of vision that moved from right to left and eventually disappeared off to the left. It was in both eyes. I have had reoccurances from time to time over the years. I have described the symptoms to eye doctors who have told me absolutely nothing about it. I did not know what they were until now. Thank you so much for this video.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so sorry you suffer with this! Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

[@crosstolerance]

Thank you for your experience and knowledge on this subject. I've been suffering from aura ocular migraines for about 3 years!

[@DrRupaWong]

I am glad this was helpful. I am so sorry you have been suffering from this. It can be so hard.

[@ShipperChick]

I had my first migraine when I was 7. (I’m 59 now). I have ophthalmic migraines and “regular” migraines in the right front hemisphere. The opthalmic migraine doesn’t always trigger a brain migraine and are pretty painless.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so sorry you struggle with these at all. I'm glad they are pretty painless for you though. Thank you for sharing and for being here!

[@conniegheer576]

My first migraine was at age 7, with no adults taking them seriously, so I pretty much suffered in silence. I get the multicolored zigzag that starts out small and grows in a large circle often accompanied by a blind spot that moves across my field of vision. But I also get numbness instead of an aura where my lips, nose or side of my face will tingle and go numb, but not as frequently as I've gotten older. Other signs of a migraine include the consonants of words being backwards, or my fingertip going numb and the area of numbness travelling down and then up one finger to the next. One migraine episode was so bad with pain on one side and numbness on the other that my sister called an ambulance because my face was drooping. Very scary but helpful because the doctors finally put a name to what was going on and people stopped accusing me of trying to get out of housework (serious eye roll here) I have weird triggers...delayed reaction to stress (2 weeks after stressful event, like clockwork) or driving on sunny days when the sun flashes through the trees, and none of the food triggers - chocolate, caffeine and ibuprofen make the headache minimal if taken within 15 minutes. As I've gotten older, they have changed a bit. More aura than not. I learned in my early 20's that stressing out because I knew what was coming made them ten times worse, so remaining calm and relaxed helped so much. I rarely got them after my last child was born, and I thought maybe they were gone forever after about 7 years without one, but then menopause slapped me in the face and I get them about every 2 weeks now. They are nothing like they were, tho. I take 3 ibuprofen with chocolate and a caffeinated beverage and I'm good to go...unless one comes on while I sleep and I don't catch the aura - then I suffer for at least a day or 2.

[@DrRupaWong]

I am so sorry you suffered in silence for so long. Hopefully, with more progress in this field, less children will have that experience. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I really appreciate it. I am hoping these migraines lessen for you.

[@conniegheer576]

@@DrRupaWong compared to how they were in my teens and 20's, they are much easier to cope with. I rarely miss work because of them now, which is a blessing. My youngest daughter gets them too, and has since childhood, but because I knew what she was describing, I was able to help her. I had no idea that there were different types of migraine. Thank you for making this. Knowledge is power.

[@DrRupaWong]

@@conniegheer576 It sure is. I'm glad to help!

[@FOXYPEACH2]

Nailed my symptoms. Scary as hell. Didn’t have them for a few years until a few months ago. Confusion and difficulty speaking…. Then headache and Worst…. Projectile vomiting started and was extreme. Jeeeze…. Thought my migraine horrors were over. I’m 71.

[@lizmonard]

Mine are exactly the same, and started when I was around 7 also.

[@sarahfreeman5703]

I started suffering from ophthalmic migraines (retinal migraines) after having surgeries after suffering from a retinal detachment. It’s been checked constantly and they said it’s fine now but I still see them every once in a while.

[@DrRupaWong]

So sorry, Sarah. This are such a pain to live with! Best wishes. Thank you for watching!

[@thamertanner5448]

Wow, so glad YT recommended this video to me, it explained so much more than my eye dr did! For years I have only had headaches on the right side of my head with pain behind my right eye. One day I woke up with my right eye being super sensitive, painful to the touch and feeling like I was being stabbed in the back of my eye or like something was pushing on the back of my eye. I was also really light sensitive. I got checked out and they did all the tests and said I was fine and it was an ocular migraine, no mention of their being different types. I was also told I had dry eyes and to use hydrating eye drops but no mention of dry eye being linked to ocular migraines. It was absolutely terrifying when it happened but fortunately it has not happened again. I always thought migraines were like these horribly debilitating, have to lie in a dark room for hours, horrifically painful kind of things so I never would have thought that what I was experiencing was a migraine. Thank you so much for this incredibly informative video!

[@MzGumby02]

This is exactly what I'm experiencing. My eye is a little swollen shut, and it's painful to touch. It's the reddest my eye has ever been. I'm going to buy some blue light glasses to help, and hopefully get some relief in the future.

[@280zjammer]

This is the first time I've heard what I experience accurately described. I've told people what I was going through and they just thought I was on drugs or something.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so glad to help! Thank you for being here!

[@pea547]

I have had ocular migraine like symptoms in my right eye for 5 months now without stopping, my ophthalmologist wasn’t interested at all and referred me to a neurologist. She started me on a migraine preventative but still no change, not sure where to go from here. I appreciate this video though, super informative!

[@prisilaandrade6996]

Hii ok w are you now?

[@Itsme-ni9jk]

Usually they get your money, then a referral to their fellow dr..mich sucks

[@theBORGman]

Very helpful -- nailed my symptoms. I'm the first in my family to ever get this and they think I'm nuts.

[@ncpatriot58]

Thank you so much for this video! I have had visual migraines for 50 years, starting in high school, and never had them labelled so well. I have Aura migraines, starting with a central loss of vision, followed by full-circle zigzag that expands from the center until my vision is fully involved, lasts around 30 minutes. Usually my headaches aren't that bad and can be treated with aleve. What has always been fascinating to me is that I can STOP the migraine by taking magnesium. I can sense a migraine coming on and sip some magnesium water and boom, it stops the expansion of the zigzags. I realize that many people are deficient in magnesium and that this is a simplistic solution, but I wonder if you as a migraine sufferer have tried or researched the use of magnesium for migraines. I started with epsom salts in water, now I use a product called ReMag which is pico-ionized magnesium that goes right into the bloodstream. Thanks again for this video, it was very helpful!

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm glad to help! Thank you for sharing what works for you. 🖤

[@monicahernandez9989]

Ugh! This is my 3rd ocular migraine in 2 days! 😞 I'm so glad you mentioned floaters. I have them, and you're right about the background visual noise. I started getting them about 10 years ago. It was better for a while, but now I'm perimenopausal, and they're back 😮‍💨 Thank you for making this video.

[@RG.......]

@monicahernandez9989 what does your Doc say about this, any treatment options you are doing?

[@therealunclep]

Great explanation of what an ocular migraine is like to experience. The first time I had one I thought I was having a stroke. It scared me to death! That was about 10 years ago. My friend was driving me to the ER and he finally pulled over and called an ambulance because it kept getting worse. Everything checked out and that was my diagnosis. An ocular migraine. I had never been a person with migraines in the past. Some bad headaches at times but that is all. This is how my first one presented. I was sitting on the couch with friends and then there were blank/empty spots in my field of vision. Shortly after than I started seeing bright, shiny, zigzag lines. They looked like a bunch M's connected and with an arch (How is that for detailed). As Dr. Wong states, it was all over in less than an hour. Something else to note. I didn't even get a headache until about the halfway point from when the visual issues had started. I still get them. Nothing seems to be a trigger and I might go months until the next one. I just sit down and ride them out. I try to laugh because it is such a strange thing to go thru. As with my first one, I don't get a headache until the ocular migraine is already happening. Most of the time it comes towards the very end. The last one I had about 4 months ago didn't include the zigzag lines. That was a first. Just the blank spots in my field of vision. Sorry, didn't mean to write a book with my reply. I just wanted to provide as many details that might help others.

[@DrRupaWong]

No need to apologize. I appreciate you sharing! I am sorry you suffer from these as well. Thanks for being here. 😊

[@andrewcliffe4753]

First time I saw this discussed. Zero pain but like the filament of a globe begins flashing really really small. It gradually grows and finally disappears out of my peripheral vision in a couple of minutes. Sometime twice a week or even only once a year. Never identified a trigger.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm glad to let you know you definitely aren't alone with this!

[@LeChatsMother]

Great and helpful video. Thank you! I've had ocular migraines (pain-free) for decades, although earlier in life I had debilitating "regular" migraines (without the visual). I always have scintillating scotoma, it never takes more than 20 minutes to arc. A month could pass without one, then suddenly I'll have 3 a day. After my own research as well as conversations with my eye doctor, I'm convinced I'm extremely sensitive to certain environmental "things" but still don't know exactly what. It's a process of discovery. Your video is excellent in describing the scintillating scotoma.

[@DrRupaWong]

"A process of discovery" is a great way to put it! I'm sorry you struggle with these. I really appreciate you. Thanks for being here. 🥰

[@andrewdragh9593]

Very powerful information! Thank you! I do get the aura version of this bizarre condition without the headaches. I'm 64 and it started about 8 years ago. This video has answered so many questions I had about this. Thanks so much for putting it out there 🙂✌

[@DrRupaWong]

I am glad to help! Thank you for being here. I'm sorry you have these migraines as well!

[@srmeyer2]

I'm now 67 and began having ocular migraines at age 41. In fact, I can recall the very day I first experienced it while staring over the shoulder of a colleague looking at her computer screen. Like Dr. Wong mentioned, mine would last for around 30-40 minutes and then disappear. I'm usually left with a dull headache for a few hours but nothing like the pain regular migraine sufferers have. A few years back I was dealing with the development of a rash on my cheek & hand that I could not, for the life of me, figure out the cause. My dermatologist was unable to help so after 5 months I did what we all do these days...turned to Google. Luckily, I ran across a comment from someone who had similar symptoms to mine and he said he discovered he had a vitamin D deficiency. I sent off an email to my PCP and asked if she would arrange for a blood test for me...which she did. Turned out my vitamin D level was low; which made sense because I've tried to keep out of sunlight since I've had a few issues with skin cancers. Anyway, I began taking vitamin D supplements and oddly enough, the rash cleared-up AND my migraines went away. That's not to say I haven't had a migraine since taking the supplements, because I have. But nowadays they occur maybe once a year and usually because I have not been taking my vitamin D pills regularly. Prior to taking the vitamin supplements I would usually have ocular migraines at least 4, and sometimes 6 times a year. So, for what it's worth to those of you who suffer from ocular migraines, you might ask your doctor for a blood test and if you're deficient like I was, see if this might help. I have to believe I'm not the only one.

[@mssmssmssmss]

Interesting. I take calcium and vitamin D for osteoporosis, and my ophthalmic migraines are very mild now.

[@johnhaller5851]

I'm not sure if it was related, but I went in for an annual eye exam. I originally had migraines with auras, but over years, it changed to just retinal migraines. I mentioned to my eye doctor that I had had one on the way into the office that day. Mine are like having looked into a bright light, but I hadn't. He looked more closely and sent me to a retinal specialist that day as he suspected a detachment. The retinal specialist said, no, it was retinastasis which makes me more susceptible to detachments, and told me how to check my peripheral vision, and set a follow-up on a week and a half. A week later, I had a detachment. After a week and a half of treatments, the retinal was tacked back into the back of my eye with a laser. I still sometimes get an aura six months later, but no more signs of detachment. I might not have gotten my detachment treated quite as quickly without that aura, so there's that. I think the quick treatment allowed treatment in the office instead of a surgical center.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so sorry you had that experience! Thank you for sharing.

[@trishignao8191]

I had a few ophthalmic migraines over a period of two months and then they stopped. Opthalmologist didn’t seem concerned. Did not have a headache which was a joy in comparison to having a terrible headache that could last for longer than I wanted.

[@livinlikeshelby8514]

I’ve experienced the aura w/o head pain. I had it a couple of times that really freaked me out but it wasn’t often. Then in the early part of my second trimester of pregnancy I was getting them at least once a week. Super scary but I talked to my doctor about it and she helped lessen the worry. I haven’t had one in a couple of months now and I’m very grateful.

[@KatrinaDancer]

I had a serious brain injury 24 years ago but I still have very weird side effects. Ophthalmic migraines is a new one to me but I was quite relieved to know I wasn't going blind. For me it was like the right side of my vision in both eyes was a kaleidescope. Since it was equal in both eyes and remained regardless of whether my eyes were open or shut, I knew it was a brain issue and not an eye issue. I'm really lucky because at least at this point there's no related pain. I had a friend who used to get cluster headaches and that was horrific.

[@eggy7346]

My personal exp: I was still in high school around 17 year old. I was hanging out with friends at the school's robotics club and I noticed a white "smudge" in my center of my vision and was weirded out. I went to the bathroom to rinse my eyes but that didn't do jack. It was followed by green and purple zig zags in my periferal vision and I called my mom to pick me up. Granted I kept it to myself and I just had my eyes closed the whole time. I planned to sleep it off and it was gone by the time I arrived home. I was relieved but I then felt a horrible headache set in and I was miserable until I finally managed to get some shut eye and woke up fine. Never got checked (I know it's foolish) and it hasn't happened till this day 5 years later

[@DrRupaWong]

Goodness. That sounds scary. I'm sorry that happened! Thank you for sharing.

[@noraandreasson]

This sounds exactly like a migraine with aura! So if this happens again, you can take paracetamol or ibuprofen to get rid of the headache before it even happened :) I get this kind of headache if it’s too bright, but now I seem to only get eye migraines :/

[@DrRupaWong]

@@noraandreasson So sorry you have these migraines. Thank you for sharing what helps you!

[@Telarii]

Over 15 years of wondering what was it that used to happen to me in middle school and today I randomly stumble upon this video. Well, that is a mystery solved that I didn't think I'd get to.

[@DrRupaWong]

I'm so glad you have a name to put with what you are experiencing. I'm sorry you struggle with this. Thank you for watching!