April wrote:

I have had a pain in my eye for 5 days. Just in the right eye when I move it up/down/left or right. Is this just a migraine in the eye?

ANSWER

Migraines do not happen in the eye.  It is important to have symptoms such as this checked by your eye doctor right away.  Most Doctors will see you within a day or two when you have symptoms such as this.

Dr. Joan Hansen, Optometrist for CAO

Kornelia wrote:
I work in a manufacturing environment where all employees are required to wear safety glasses at all times. One of my employees is prone to migraine headaches and swears that seeing through any type of eye wear (plastic or glass safety glasses, sun glasses, etc) leads to a migraine. Do you have any suggestions for eye protection to keep this individual safe?

ANSWER

This could be someone with a legitimate complaint, possibly a sinus condition that is triggered by the weight of the glasses on their nose, that they assume is migraine. There are all kinds of issues like this in Health and Safety, that at first glance seem frivolous, but end up creating huge problems for employers.
I would respond by urging the employee to have a thorough examination by whatever specialty applies.

Not wearing appropriate eye protection is not an option!

CAO Staff

Mandy wrote:
My boyfriend has had this reoccurring vision episode since he was a child.
Once or twice a year, out of nowhere, things look really far away.  This lasts a few minutes and is really scary for him, and then his vision comes back to normal.  I first thought it was some type of seizure and could not find anything about it online (we are struggling financially so going to a doctor is not possible).
I am not sure if this is related, but: In the last 3 years he has had 2 seizures.  Both were drug induced and about 7 months apart (the first from cocaine, close to an overdose and the second the doctor prescribed him Zanex for paranoia-a lingering problem the cocaine abuse left him after he quit-and he ran out of his Zanex prescription which sent him into the 2nd seizure.  Both seizures sent him to the ER but he was sent home the same day.
He is now drug free and the eye episodes continue.  He has tried to explain the episode to a doctor and they looked at him like he was crazy.  I have been there for some of them and his eyes twitch uncontrollably.  Can you please provide some type of explanation?
Thank you for taking the time to help us.

ANSWER

Mandy,
This condition is called ophthalmic migraine. This is not related to seizures but a natural migraine process. When this occurs there is a temporary, not damaging, restriction of blood flow in the back of the head where the brain “sees” and interprets what the eye provide as an image. These episodes can last from several minutes up to 72 hours, depending on the severity of the episode. There is nothing to do about it except to take a usual migraine prescription. Uncontrolled eye movements can be associated with these episodes as well. I would not be worried about these episodes. If you look at the family background there is a strong possibility that someone else (mostly females) is also affected by migraine. Expression of this problem can vary from one to person to another but usually it is genetically inherited and expressed under stress, fatigue or can be induced by drugs effects as well. This has to be triggered by something but there is no damage involved even if there are recurrent episodes.

Good luck
Langis Michaud

Sarah wrote:

This morning I had something strange happen with my eyes. For about 15-20 mins I had some unusual thin horizontal lines in my vision. The lines themselves weren’t moving but looked kind of like coloured TV static. When I moved my eyes, the lines moved too, staying in the same position in my field of view. They were present in both eyes in different positions. After several minutes of only 2-3 lines, several more appeared on my right eye so that I could barely see anything properly and then soon after they all disappeared again and everything was back to normal. First time anything strange has happened with my sight.  Should I get this checked out or put it down to getting up to early on a Monday morning?

Thanks for your help,
Sarah

ANSWER

Hi Sarah,
What you experienced sounds exactly what we call an ocular migraine.  With an ocular migraine unusual visual symptoms are experienced, which can be quite concerning especially if it is the first time it has occurred.  These visual symptoms are also referred to as the aura part of a migraine.  Some people will get a headache after the episode, but some people do not. Most people describe the symptoms like you did – that they see lines or light and sometimes they will be in a zig-zag pattern and these will impede the ability to see.  Typically they last for approximately twenty minutes.  The mechanism for this event is similar in nature to a typical migraine.  Generally these are not harmful but I would recommend seeing your optometrist to rule out any retinal problems as these can cause similar symptoms.  You also may want to pay a visit to your family physician if you do not normally suffer from migraines.

Dr. Carol Doman

Kay wrote:

Hello. I am a 28 year old female and I am a vegetarian. I recently experienced some pretty strange vision abnormalities that I have never experienced before. It happened in several progressive stages.

I was driving on the freeway and I felt my eyelid start twitching, I started to see spots similar to what you would see if you looked directly at the sun. I didn’t think too much of it because it was a bright day. It was followed by a spot in the middle of my field of vision. The best way that I can think to describe the spot would be if you tried to look through a piece of plastic wrap with a drop of water on it, obscuring what you are trying to look at. There was also a slight prism effect.

I tried looking down at the speedometer but I couldn’t see the numbers. Everywhere I tried to focus was a dark blur. I could see the peripheral view, but nothing that I was actually trying to look at. I tried to look at the numbers on the radio, but I couldn’t see them. I could see the color of the LED lights, but not the actual numbers that I was trying to focus on.

The next thing that happened was a strobe effect. It reminded me of being in a dark room that is being lit by a fluorescent light that is burning out and flickering. This part didn’t seem to effect my entire field of vision, it seemed more like it was happening above my head. The whole episode lasted for about 40 minutes, then I was fine. I got a slight headache about an hour afterward, which easily went away with a few Tylenol.

Any ideas what could have caused this?

Thanks, Kay

ANSWER

Dear Kay,

First let me say this must have been pretty scary while driving on the freeway, and I am happy that you made it home safe and sound.  Your description sounds like a typical migraine aura. These episodes are not always followed by a headache, and often are brought on by stress of some kind. If you have not already seen your general family doctor about this episode, I would encourage you to do so as soon as possible. He or she will want to check your blood pressure and perhaps a few other things.

Dr. Joan Hansen