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An optical migraine is a painless migraine that temporarily affects a person's ability to see. There is no known cause of optical migraines, but women are three times more likely to suffer from them than men.
Other Names
According to experts at relieve-migraine-headache.com, an optical migraine is also known as a silent migraine, ocular migraine, visual migraine or acephalgic migraine.
Symptoms
An optical migraine manifests itself as a zigzag pattern of flashing light that migrates across the field of vision. It begins as a small spot and spreads to completely obscure vision.
Duration
Optical migraines usually last between 20 minutes and one hour. Resting the eyes may reduce the duration of symptoms.
Causes
According to writers at migraineheadacherx.com, an optical migraine has something to do with a disturbance in the brain's blood circulation, but the exact cause is not known. Women are more likely to experience optical migraines, and they seem to be hereditary to some degree.
Complications
About 15 percent of migraine suffers experience an optical migraine or an "aura" prior to the headache itself, according to relieve-migraine-headache.com.
Treatment
Occasional optical migraines may require no treatment at all. Frequent optical migraines can be treated with the same drugs used to treat regular migraines, but their brief duration means a fast-acting medication is best. Relieve-migraine-headache.com suggests taking aspirin, nitroglycerin or naproxen sodium to relieve symptoms.
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