Identify And Treat Ocular Migraines

By Carly on Friday, July 9, 2010
Filled Under: Migraine Articles

Identify and treat ocular migraines

Ophthalmic (eye) migraines are really usual and often painless, although the solo term \”migraine\” normally brings to mind a dangerous kind of headache.

But with eye-related migraines, visual disturbances with or without headache pain too can accompany migraine processes believed to be related to varieties in blood flow in the brain.

These visual problems affiliated with migraines technically are known as ophthalmic migraines, but are much more typically (though incorrectly) called ocular migraines. Since most laypeople understand the term better, this article refers to the condition as \”how do i know if i have an ocular migraine?.\”

The biological causes of migraines are unknown, but numerous precipitating factors have been discovered. Stress, premenstrual alterations, alcohol consumption, hunger, or the use of oral contraceptives can induce migraines in some persons.

Certain foods may produce attacks; these include chocolate, red wine, milk, aged cheese, chicken livers, meats preserved in nitrates, or foods prepared with monosodium glutamate. Certain persons report that exposure to sunlight or workout can trigger attacks.

The symptoms of ocular migraines vary from person to person, and may include seeing zigzagging lines or patterns, especially at the outer edges of your vision, seeing shimmering or colored lights, loss of vision in one spot or off to one side. With typical migraines, but uncommonly with ocular migraines, you can have severe pain following these symptoms. You may too have vomiting or nausea. Ocular migraines normally require no treatment, other than rest until the symptoms pass.

Your doctor will routinely get a full history and perform a thorough physical exam to rule out systemic causes of the headache. Your ophthalmologist will verify that no eye-related problems are bringing on the headache.

Stress alleviation, control of blood pressure, or medication to maintain appropriate hormonal levels may be needed. New glasses or different work lighting may be prescribed by your doctor.

If you have persistent headaches, it\’s important to consult your medical physician about them for a medical evaluation.

The management of a migraine consists of avoiding any precipitating factors, together with prophylactic or symptomatic pharmacologic treatment, if needed.

During acute attacks, several patients find it helpful to rest in a quiet, darkened room \’till symptoms subside.

A simple analgesic (e.g., aspirin) consumed right away oftentimes offers easing, but treatment with extracranial vasoconstrictors or other drugs is sometimes essential.

Cafergot, a combination of ergotamine tartrate and caffeine, is frequently particularly useful. A drug known as ergotamine has been used effectively for acute migraine. Sometimes, an analgesic painkiller is used in combination with it. Ergotamine can bring on headaches and other side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, cramps and tingling sensations. It should be employed only a couple of times a week and not at all during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Sumatriptan is a fast-acting agent that can abort attacks when given subcutaneously (under the skin) by an autoinjection device. It should be avoided in pregnancy.

If migraine headaches take place more than 2 or 3 times a month, prophylactic treatment may be necessary. Medications include aspirin, propranolol or amitriptyline.

For more information, visit Eye migraine.

How To Treat Ocular Migraines?

By Carly on Monday, July 5, 2010
Filled Under: Migraine Articles

If you have unbearable pain in the area around your eyes and along the side of your head, you may be suffering from ocular migraines, also known as optical migraines. Although the exact cause of ocular migraines is unclear, some factors have been identified. In most cases, ocular migraines are caused by either an expansion or contraction of blood vessels in the head and brain. Along with the pain mentioned above, ocular migraines can also be characterized by Nausea, Double vision, Sparks, Bright lights or zigzags of light.

Different factors cause ocular migraines in different people. Ocular migraines that doesn’t hurt but effects your vision and is very frustrating because you can’t focus and lights flash or things in site swirl. Ocular migraines are very frightening the first few times. They should not last for 2 months straight. Although you can get one every day that last a few minutes or an hour or more. Ocular migraines include adopting a low stress lifestyle, eliminating trigger foods and eating a good healthy migraine diet. This would include high quality fish oil supplements to reduce the inflammation and balance hormones.

The natural solution and treatment for ocular migraines is basically the same as the recommendation for a classic migraine headache. For the vast majority of people, these diet and lifestyle changes should be enough to dramatically decrease both the frequency and severity of migraines. In time, using natural solutions, you should be able to eliminate all migraine headaches from your life. However, if your ocular migraines persist, be sure to consult a doctor.

For more information about Ocular Migraines, visit Ocular Migraines Website.

Aina Hazirah

Ocular Migraine: A Basic Understanding

By Carly on Friday, June 25, 2010
Filled Under: Migraine Articles

Migraines are a neurological disorder of the brain. There are many different types of migraine. One of them is Ocular Migraine or known as Acephalalgic Migraine. The different types of migraine are classified according to the symptoms that a sufferer experience and their causes.

Ocular 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 other migraines, ocular migraine spells occur repeatedly and irregularly. That is, patients may experience many spells of ocular migraine within a week and nothing at all for months on end. The spells may last from 15-30 min in general.

Ocular migraine is to be distinguished with classical migraine or migraine with aura. In classical migraines, the aura can be a visual sensation (called visual aura) or something non-visual such as smell, dizziness, vertigo, parasthesia, or extremities. Generally aura is experienced by the patient after the prodrome, 10-30 minutes before the onset of the headache. Statistics show that nearly 20% of the migraineurs experiences aura.

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. Changes in the blood flow in the vessels cause the severe throbbing or pounding effects of headache.

It is believed that ocular migraine is triggered by over stress, oral contraceptives, premenstrual changes, alcohol, and certain victuals such as chocolate, red wine, chicken livers, meats preserved in nitrates, and milk.

As mentioned earlier, the most notable symptom of ocular migraine is the unusual visual sensations that block the normal vision to a large extent during the spell. At the earlier stages of an ocular migraine episode, the patient may experience a visual disturbance in his/her peripheral vision, mostly in the form of a jagged, shimmering, semicircular light, pale pastel in color. Within minutes, it expands and becomes more centric to the area of vision, leading to temporary patchy vision loss. Eventually, in another 15-30 minutes, the zigzag pattern travels outwards of the visual field and soon out of the side vision before disappearing completely, leaving the field of view clear again.

After the episode, the patient may feel fatigued and with/without a mild headache, but the eye sight will be normal as it was before.

Ocular migraines, in most instances, do not require any treatment. But the doctor may diagnose the patient to ensure that there is no serious blood flow issue.

In some cases, doctors may prescribe some painkiller to contain the following headache, if the pain is unbearable for the patient. But such instances are very rare.

Tail Piece: Even though it is true that ocular migraines can be controlled to an extent by adjusting the diet and reducing stress, it cannot be prevented or cured forever. Once an ocular migraine episode starts, the patient will have no choice, but to see himself/herself through those grueling 30 minutes, preferably with a calm mind. There is no use in panicking or getting worried. Relaxation techniques can be put to good use at this stage.

Looking for a Natural Headache Remedy or Remedies for your splitting headache? Get information on an arsenal of non-drug treatment options and a free report here at Natural Headache Remedies.

Ocular Migraine: A Basic Understanding

By Carly on Friday, June 25, 2010
Filled Under: Migraine Articles

Migraines are a neurological disorder of the brain. There are many different types of migraine. One of them is Ocular Migraine or known as Acephalalgic Migraine. The different types of migraine are classified according to the symptoms that a sufferer experience and their causes.

Ocular 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 other migraines, ocular migraine spells occur repeatedly and irregularly. That is, patients may experience many spells of ocular migraine within a week and nothing at all for months on end. The spells may last from 15-30 min in general.

Ocular migraine is to be distinguished with classical migraine or migraine with aura. In classical migraines, the aura can be a visual sensation (called visual aura) or something non-visual such as smell, dizziness, vertigo, parasthesia, or extremities. Generally aura is experienced by the patient after the prodrome, 10-30 minutes before the onset of the headache. Statistics show that nearly 20% of the migraineurs experiences aura.

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. Changes in the blood flow in the vessels cause the severe throbbing or pounding effects of headache.

It is believed that ocular migraine is triggered by over stress, oral contraceptives, premenstrual changes, alcohol, and certain victuals such as chocolate, red wine, chicken livers, meats preserved in nitrates, and milk.

As mentioned earlier, the most notable symptom of ocular migraine is the unusual visual sensations that block the normal vision to a large extent during the spell. At the earlier stages of an ocular migraine episode, the patient may experience a visual disturbance in his/her peripheral vision, mostly in the form of a jagged, shimmering, semicircular light, pale pastel in color. Within minutes, it expands and becomes more centric to the area of vision, leading to temporary patchy vision loss. Eventually, in another 15-30 minutes, the zigzag pattern travels outwards of the visual field and soon out of the side vision before disappearing completely, leaving the field of view clear again.

After the episode, the patient may feel fatigued and with/without a mild headache, but the eye sight will be normal as it was before.

Ocular migraines, in most instances, do not require any treatment. But the doctor may diagnose the patient to ensure that there is no serious blood flow issue.

In some cases, doctors may prescribe some painkiller to contain the following headache, if the pain is unbearable for the patient. But such instances are very rare.

Tail Piece: Even though it is true that ocular migraines can be controlled to an extent by adjusting the diet and reducing stress, it cannot be prevented or cured forever. Once an ocular migraine episode starts, the patient will have no choice, but to see himself/herself through those grueling 30 minutes, preferably with a calm mind. There is no use in panicking or getting worried. Relaxation techniques can be put to good use at this stage.

Looking for a Natural Headache Remedy or Remedies for your splitting headache? Get information on an arsenal of non-drug treatment options and a free report here at Natural Headache Remedies.

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