Ocular Migraines

[jumpchikk 0]

I just had one. It's when your vision starts narrowing down and you start seeing suiggly things in your line of vision. It sucks. It can be brought on by eye strain (people that work on the computer), allergies and/or stress.

I am having the worst time with allergies today, but I also work on a computer all day every day.

Anyone else experience this problem and what do you do when it happens?

Edited to add: We need to create a medical forum to where we can discuss all of our injuries/ailments.

[NWFlyer 2]

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I just had one. It's when your vision starts narrowing down and you start seeing suiggly things in your line of vision. It sucks. It can be brought on by eye strain (people that work on the computer), allergies and/or stress.

I am having the worst time with allergies today, but I also work on a computer all day every day.

Anyone else experience this problem and what do you do when it happens?

Post in Frenchy68's medical forum for advice from trained professionals.

Of course if I had 'em I'd probably see my doctor.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[popsjumper 2]

Chiropractor fixed my headache problems....

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[jumpchikk 0]

I've talked to my eye doctor about them. He told me that they get worse with age.

[TFFTM 1]

I get what my doc called TDS (Terminal Display Syndrome) which, according to him makes my eyes dry out real bad because I forget to blink when looking a a computer monitor too long. According to him the scan rates of a monitor can "fool" your brain into blinking less frequently. Personally it sounds like BS. I use Eye drops regulary (lubricating)and about every 15 minute or so I will try to focus on something further away. It seems to help, don't get the headaches as bad. My .02 worth

BSBD
Home of the Alabama Gang

[jumpchikk 0]

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Chiropractor fixed my headache problems....

You know, I have never been to a chiropractor? My ex-boyfriend, who is a physical therapist and I dated him while he went through physical therapy school brainwashed me into not ever going to a chiropractor, but since I've started jumping and since my TMJ is getting worse as well, I'm seriously thinking about it.

I'm falling apart.

[jumpchikk 0]

Quote

I get what my doc called TDS (Terminal Display Syndrome) which, according to him makes my eyes dry out real bad because I forget to blink when looking a a computer monitor too long. According to him the scan rates of a monitor can "fool" your brain into blinking less frequently. Personally it sounds like BS. I use Eye drops regulary (lubricating)and about every 15 minute or so I will try to focus on something further away. It seems to help, don't get the headaches as bad. My .02 worth

Do you wear contacts or glasses? I'm only supposed to wear my contacts 8 hours a day (yeah right) because my eyes are dry... I put eye drops in mine on a regular basis also.

[ECVZZ 0]

First I'll notice things are kind of blurry at the periphery, then it will progress to the wavy lines (kinda like heat waves rising from the runway), then the black "blotches" start.

Eventually, I can't see anything in the center of my field of view (anything I look directly at) because it's blacked out, and the periphery is too distorted to be of any use at all. Onset takes 5-10 minutes...vision typically totally screwed for 20-30 minutes. No headache at all involved.

Edited to add:

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I've talked to my eye doctor about them. He told me that they get worse with age.

He's right.

G. Jones

"I've never been quarantined. But the more I look around, the more I think it might not be a bad idea."

[popsjumper 2]

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..You know, I have never been to a chiropractor? ...I'm seriously thinking about it.

You'll hear comments from two groups of people:
-those who don't know
-medical people

However, just like medical doctors, some Chiros are better than others but the vast majority, I believe, are good.

My MD gave me multiple prescriptions and finally wanted to send me to a specialist for possible neck surgery.

The Chiropractor identified and fixed the problem in 20 minutes total (physical exam, x-ray pic, pic review and adjustment). Went in with a major headache, left headache free.

As a side note, in his review of the x-rays, he identified other physical problems I was having and either completely eliminated or drastically reduced them.

I guess you can tell I support the chiropractic.

You can ususally get free exams and oftentimes free initial x-rays.

I sure wish my Chiro would take up skydiving!

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[hooked 0]

Quote

Quote

..You know, I have never been to a chiropractor? ...I'm seriously thinking about it.

You'll hear comments from two groups of people:
-those who don't know
-medical people

However, just like medical doctors, some Chiros are better than others but the vast majority, I believe, are good.

My MD gave me multiple prescriptions and finally wanted to send me to a specialist for possible neck surgery.

The Chiropractor identified and fixed the problem in 20 minutes total (physical exam, x-ray pic, pic review and adjustment). Went in with a major headache, left headache free.

As a side note, in his review of the x-rays, he identified other physical problems I was having and either completely eliminated or drastically reduced them.

I guess you can tell I support the chiropractic.

You can ususally get free exams and oftentimes free initial x-rays.

I sure wish my Chiro would take up skydiving!

I found out the same thing! When I start to get headaches, it's time to see the chiropractor. Actually, I started seeing him after a back injury and then later, after an auto accident, for whiplash (which I thought people faked) and have gone ever since. All these years I've had headaches and now have some relief.

J

--------------------------------------
Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings.

[Samurai136 0]

Go to your physician and talk to them about your occular migraines. They can give you stuff like "Imitrex" or other drugs.

The first occular I got, I went to the eye doctor (thought it might be a detatched retina or something). He told me my eye was fine and to address it with my physician. Imitrex has reduced the duration of my occular migraines from 3 hours of weird vision to 20-45 minutes.

Ken

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[kelel01 1]

I get them all the time . . . well, not ALL the time, but maybe once every 2 weeks or so. When I lose my vision, I take some Aleve and put my head down for a while. That usually staves off the migraine pretty well . . . it's like an annoyance after that. Back when I didn't get the vision disturbances as warnings, my migraines would hit HARD.

[bob.dino 1]

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Personally it sounds like BS.

I'm not sure what causes it, but it is a fact that you blink less when looking at a monitor for long periods of time.

[peregrinerose 0]

I don't know about the scan rate thing, but you do blink less on a computer or doing any other form of concentrated near work. It dries your eyes out, lots of ways to help, but varies by person, so can't give specifics here, sorry.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[peregrinerose 0]

Ocular migraines are a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning you have to rule out all of the scary things that can cause similar effects before calling it an ocular migraine (high blood pressure, diabetes, carotid artery disease, blood clotting disorders, certain medications, neurological disease, etc.)

An ocular migraine in general is when the blood vessels constrict for a while, cutting off the blood supply to the retina. Retina doesn't get enough oxygen, so starts sending wacko signals to the brain. Peripheral vision is affected first, so that's typically where the sparklies or heat waves or whatever show up (just like hypoxia at high altitudes.

Usually after 20 minutes or so, the body figures out what the heck it's doing wrong, and the blood vessels re dilate. If this happens in the retina, everything goes back to normal, no pain. If the same thing happens in the brain, that's when the whopper of a headache sets in.

It can be from stress, vascular disease, bizarre allergy issues (not like seasonal allergies, but to a specific preservative or food type), etc.

The important thing is to have all the testing done by your family doc to make sure that it really is just an ocular migraine and nothing more serious.

Jen

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[Snowwhite 0]

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I just had one. It's when your vision starts narrowing down and you start seeing suiggly things in your line of vision. It sucks. It can be brought on by eye strain (people that work on the computer), allergies and/or stress.

I am having the worst time with allergies today, but I also work on a computer all day every day.

Anyone else experience this problem and what do you do when it happens?

Edited to add: We need to create a medical forum to where we can discuss all of our injuries/ailments.

I think I responded to a thing about migraines before, but here is what I said then, and what happened with me.

I had TERRIBLE migraines every Friday for about 10 years. Friday I did pay roll and taxes for 2 businesses. I hate taxes and payroll. Went to the doctor about something else, but mentioned the migraines to him. His response was "you've had 2 concussions and a broken neck, you're gonna have headaches."
Years go by, new doc. He asks about history. I tell him the migraine thing. He asks how they start, and I explain that I have like a capital C in my vision, where the pieces aren't together, like a broken mirror. Then the heat thing where the waves start. Then the next day BAM, I can't open my eyes, or feel warm, or smell stuff without throwing up.
He says before we do anything else, keep a diary of EVERY morsel that crosses your lips. Even a sip of communion wine, REALLY. Then come back in a month and we'll talk about it, and go further if we need to.
Well, doesn't take a genius to see that I'm eating hotdogs and drinking red wine on Thursday nights, while Streaker is at bowling league, or golf or whatever this Thursdays seasonal thing is.
Eliminated the red wine, hot dogs, and a couple of other minor things and haven't had a head ache in YEARS.
So they don't necessarily get worse with age, and I haven't spent a fortune on Doctors, chiros or Massage, and I've managed to get my Fridays back.
So take the diary thing and try it, you mentioned allergies. It doesn't cost anything, and may save you a bunch of grief.

skydiveTaylorville.org
freefallbeth@yahoo.com

[reno316 0]

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Go to your physician and talk to them about your occular migraines. They can give you stuff like "Imitrex" or other drugs.

Yep. I used to get pretty nasty migraines before I learned what my "triggers" were... haven't had one in years. But Imitrex... Best medication ever made. I had the injector, and migraines went from 6-8 horus of pure hell to 30 seconds away from no more headache.

-- Reno

"If you can't say something nice about somebody, you must be talking about Hillary Clinton." -- Jeff Foxworthy

[Samurai136 0]

Yeah, the only trigger I could Identify was a switch from Camel Turkish Gold to Marlboro Reds.

Quit smoking Reds and migraines went away...
Ken

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken