Ocular Migraine - also called Acephalalgic Migraine - is a neurological syndrome characterized by abnormal visual sensations, sometimes accompanied by headaches, nausea and vomiting. In some cases, the person may feel heightened sensitivity to sound and light at the early stages of the attack. This type of migraine is generally seen in people with a history of classical migraine. Like in other migraines, the exact cause of ocular migraine is still a topic of debate. The most nearest and convincing explanation is that it is caused due to vascular spasm that affects the ocular blood vessel supplying blood to the vision center in the brain.

An ocular migraine usually only happens in one eye. When it begins, you may just notice that something is off with your sight. You may see a tiny spot. Over a period of a few minutes, that spot may get bigger. You may start to lose your vision in patches. The expanded spot may start to shimmer or develop a colored or zig-zagged border.

This pattern may get bigger until it is not only in the center of your vision - but in the outer part too. Usually over 15-30 minutes the distortion may travel out to the side of your vision as well and then simply disappear.

Migraine Headaches Causes

No one's quite sure - but it is believed to be caused by an unusual stimulation of the nerves at the back of the brain. In classical migraine, a spasm affects the surface of the brain. In ocular migraine, the blood supply to the eye or the supply to the vision area of the brain is affected.

Migraine headaches are common ailments that affect many people all over the world everyday. They are different in nature from any other type of headache and are very distinguishable. While there is no particular reason why they can occur, there are several possible factors that doctors have been able to attribute to their cause. Still, it is often difficult to pinpoint one main cause, as the factors can change from one person to another.

There are a number of medical conditions that are also believed to cause migraine headaches. While doctors aren't exactly clear on an exact cause, they have found that obstructions such as tumors in the brain can cause severe headaches. In situations such as these, it is necessary to treat the condition in order to stop the headaches from occurring.

As auras are part of a migraine phase, the migraine as a whole is treated with medicine This may include anti-seizure drugs, vitamin therapy, and abortive medications to take at the onset of pain. Ocular migraine, however, may respond to a low dose of a beta blocker such as Inderal (propranolol) or Norvasc (atenolol). Inderal cannot be taken if you have asthma, so the second medication might be a better option. Daily medication will cut down on the frequency of the migraines.

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