Curious to know if anyone else here has ever had an ocular migraine.

About 2 years ago, I was outside in the bright sunlight and began to experience bright flashes in my right eye (I get right sided CH hits) that were in an arched shape near the middle of my line of vision.  My eyes have always been sensitive to the sunlight but that particular day, the sun was almost blinding.  It scared the poo outta me so I called the eye doc who told me to come into the office immediately.

The flashes gradually made their way to the corner of my eye and disappeared with no after effects.

The same thing happened yesterday afternoon but left me with a headache that is still lingering a bit today...nothing bad, just annoying.

If you have had an ocular migraine, how often do you get them and do you ever experience a headache once the flashes are gone?

Welcome to the funny kaleidescopic world in which I tread barefoot.  I have Ocular or Ocipital Migraines all the time.  They started about 10 years ago.  I thought I was having a religious experience or something I was talking to a friend and her face started flashing.  It went on for about a half hour and the area that flashed faded out and changed.  Sometimes I have a prism over half of my eye and it has blinded me to the point that I can't drive and have been trapped at home.  The longest one that I have had lasted a couple of hours. When I have this type of migraine I don't have pain, but sometimes it precedes a doozy of a migraine.  Right now I'm coming off a 3 day migraine.  Not fun...

Ree

Are the ocular migraines the same as "silent migraines"?  I've had the latter and they start with a rather liquid motion in the corners of one eye, like sparkling waves of water, and spread to the whole field of vision.  They blind me in one eye for about 1/2 hour.

I've also had a retinal tear ( old(er) age related ) which produced lightening-like flashes in the effected eye.  This can become a medical emergency as it actually tears the retina away from the back cavity of the eye and fluid, and sometimes blood, escapes into the eyeball.

An opthamologist needs to diagnose such eye problems to separate the big problems from the lesser problems.

After reading these posts I'm not sure if what I get is "aura" with migraine or ocular migraines. I think the difference is the pain. I get that aura at the first onset of a migraine. Lights start flashing and there is nothing to stop it. There is no pain and vision is limited. About 15 to 30 min. later it stops and the pain of a migraine steps in. This can last for hours although relpax has been able to break it. I think ocular migraine is more just the light sensation. Before Lisa had CH she used to wake with blue lights many morning but no pain. About a year later, the CH began. Someone else posted this topic earlier this year but can't remember who or when.

Charlotte

I get them too.  They last for about 30 mins as well.  I do however sometimes have pain AFTER the vision corrects itself and I feel the need to sleep.  Sometimes I think that they are a precursor to a cycle.

I guess that it must be fairly common for CHers to have other headache disorders too.  We are soooooo lucky!

Jeannie

Yep, I get them too.  Worse when I take Verap.  If I'm taking it, I have them pretty often.  So, I don't take the crap.  Now I just have them if I get terribly stressed out.  I hate 'em, I hate all headaches.

Paige_H. wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2008 at 2:58pm:

Careful. "The crap" has helped a lot of people around here, many of them my friends. No way to know for sure, but it may have prevented one or two from eating their piece.