Research is still ongoing, but migraines are thought to likely be caused by a phenomenon called cortical spreading depression (CSD). Other auras can be olfactory (the smell of smoke or rotting food), auditory (ringing in the ears) or physical like the feeling of a breeze, numbness, weakness or difficulty speaking. Often described as psychedelic in appearance. In a migraine, the most common auras are visual flashing lights, zig zag patterns, blurred vision or patches of shimmering light. It can also occur before other brain conditions too, like seizures. Extreme sensitivity to light, noise and sometimes to smell and/or touchĪura is a sensation that occurs before the migraine.Aura occuring for 10 – 30 minutes, up to one hour before the migraine pain starts.Severe pain typically lasting 4 – 72 hours.Throbbing pain or pulsing sensation on one side of the head.Migraines affect people in different ways but the most commonly described symptoms are Women are also three times more likely than men to get them. People with two parents who suffer from migraines have a 75% chance of having migraines themselves. Migraines usually run in families as they have a genetic component. The frequency differs drastically between sufferers and is often associated with an underlying cause.

Migraines might occur rarely, once or twice a year, or they could strike several times a month. This loss of vision is caused by reduced blood flow or spasms of the blood vessels in the retina or behind the eye, not in the brain. The vision returns to normal within an hour. The vision fades out over five minutes, and can be described as a dimming of vision, flashes of light or patches of blank spots ( scotomas) that enlarge to block out all sight in that eye. In recurrent cases, it is most likely to affect the same eye each time. A retinal migraine is very rare and its visual symptoms are the partial or total loss of vision, temporarily in one eye.A visual migraine is a silent migraine when the aura is visual.A silent migraine is when a person experiences the aura, but no headache or pain afterwards.A common migraine occurs in about 60% of migraine sufferers and has no aura.A classic migraine occurs in about 40% of migraine sufferers and has an aura (visual, auditory, olfactory or tactile).There are a few different types of migraines which people usually experience: What is a migraine?Ī migraine is a recurrent and severe headache which a whopping one in ten New Zealanders suffer from. In this blog, we explore the connection between the brain, the eyes and what we see. But the very first time you experience it, it can also be very distressing. The effect migraine can have on your eyesight is both fascinating and disruptive.

Headache behind eyeballs