Is The Optical Migraine A Serious Affliction Or Not
The optical migraine as per the definitions found in different sources is not a serious affliction even though it is very scary. The reason behind this type of migraine is not known and hence total prevention would be difficult. It is believed that endocrine dysfunction or a temporary edema of the brain that affects the blood circulation to the brain by alternatively constricting and dilating the blood vessels can be the cause for this problem.
Preventing The Optical Migraine Is Possible When You Can Read The Signs
It is very much possible to recognize the signs that announce a full blown attack and by aborting such signals, you could have the optical migraine prevented from happening. Normally before a migraine attack, you would experience a migraine aura that you could recognize from the following symptoms - (i) low and consistent ringing in the ears; (ii) spots of flashes of light in your line of vision, (iii) nausea, (iv) acute head reeling and (v) double vision.
When and if you are experiencing any two or more of these symptoms, you are heading for a full blown attack of the optical migraine. You could then take the preventive medicines that the doctor prescribed and sidestep the actual migraine. The good news is that the optical migraine
is not half as painful as the regular migraine.
You would also know this affliction as the acephalic, visual or ocular migraine. The worst that can happen when the optical migraine attacks is that you see stars in front of our eyes for twenty to thirty minutes at a time - literally. Some people also experience a blind spot that gradually enlarges to cover the whole filed of vision.
You would know for sure that this is an optical migraine if the same aura is repeated again and again and again exactly in the same pattern. In case the pattern changes, you need to undergo diagnostic tests at the earliest as such signs could mean serious damage to nerves. It has been observed that this disease is owed to heredity and that women are more likely to suffer from this problem than men, with a ratio of 3:1.
Is This Migraine A Serious Condition?
Other types might be. However, this particular affliction as its manifestation is not as severe as with other migraines. In most cases, this migraine becomes alright on its own - without any or with minimum medication. However, when the aural pattern changes often this would be an indication of more serious problems such as warning signs of a stroke, heart problems, brain tumor and even multiple sclerosis?