Migraine With Aura

Ocular migraine isn't common. But it can be serious. If you don't get treatment, there's a small chance that the vision loss in one eye could become permanent.

In an ocular migraine attack, a change in vision can happen in one eye before, during, or after a headache. The symptoms include:

• Seeing twinkling or sparkling lights
• Having blind spots
• Temporary blindness

One way to tell if the vision changes are only happening in one eye is to close each of your eyes and check if you only see the changes in one of them.

Migraine With Aura Symptoms

What does migraine with aura look like?

Auras may seem like a warning sign that a migraine headache is coming. They often start 30-60 minutes before the headache begins.

In most cases, aura symptoms come on gradually over a span of about 5 minutes. They can last up to an hour.

The most common symptoms are visual ones, such as flashing lights or blind spots.

Prodrome symptoms of migraine with aura

Some 40%-60% of all people with migraine have warning signs 24-48 hours before an attack. This is called the prodrome or preheadache phase. It's not the same as an aura, but you can have prodrome symptoms before a migraine headache with aura. During prodrome, you may:

• Crave certain foods
• Feel hyper or cranky
• Be tired and yawn more
• Feel stiffness, especially in your neck
• Need to pee more often
• Get constipated or have diarrhea

Symptoms of a visual aura

Light may sparkle across your eyes. It may seem like a bulb is flickering. You may notice jagged lines that look like a horseshoe that gets bigger. That's called a fortification spectrum. You may get something called Alice in Wonderland syndrome. When this happens, your body parts may seem distorted, or you might feel like a big person in a small room.

Common visual aura symptoms include:

• Flashes of bright light
• Foggy or blurry vision
• Zigzag lines
• Blind spots (scotoma)
• Partial loss of vision
• Small, bright dots
• A field of vision that looks like a heat wave or water
• Colored spots

Sometimes, you may have:

• Trouble judging distances
• Fractured vision, like looking through broken glass
• Visions of things that aren't there (hallucinations)
• Tunnel vision
• Short-term blindness

Symptoms of a sensory aura

A sensory aura starts as a prickling, tingling, or numb feeling in your arm or leg. The feeling gradually travels up your limb and can spread to your face or tongue. You can have this along with visual aura symptoms.

Symptoms of a dysphasic aura

Dysphasic aura is a rare type of migraine aura in which you have trouble talking. You may not be able to say the right words. Or your sentences may not make sense. You might not be able to understand what people say.

Symptoms may include:

• Trouble finding words or speaking (aphasia)
• Mumbling
• Slurred speech

Any of these symptoms could also be a sign of a stroke. If you have new symptoms that are different for you, call 911 and get help right away.

Other symptoms

Migraine pain can be steady or throbbing. You usually feel it on the front or side of your head, around your eyes. Adults are more likely to have pain on just one side. It is a long-lasting headache and may last a few hours up to 3 days.

Besides pain, your symptoms may include:

• Upset stomach or vomiting
• Hot flashes and chills
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Dizziness or spinning (vertigo)
• Sore neck or jaw
• Sensitivity to light, sounds, smells, touch, or motion
• Confusion
• Muscle weakness

Migraine With Aura Causes

Scientists aren't sure what causes migraine, but several brain chemicals probably play a role.

According to this theory, an attack starts when a wave of nerve cell activity leads to changes across your brain and triggers your trigeminal nerve. This causes the release of a variety of neurotransmitters (chemical "messengers" within your nervous system) that change the size of blood vessels, release more neurotransmitters, and finally cause inflammation and pain.

Experts think the aura happens because of this electrical wave moving across the part of your brain that processes signals from your senses.

Migraine often runs in families. It often begins in childhood and gets worse through adolescence. Although more boys than girls have migraine, more adult women than men have them. Over time, you'll probably have fewer, and they become less common after age 50.

How common is migraine with aura?

About 25%-30% of people with migraine have auras.

Aura Migraine Triggers

For many people, certain substances or situations can bring on a migraine attack. Common triggers for migraine headaches with or without aura include:

• Certain foods like cheese or chocolate or food additives like nitrates
• Alcohol
• Medications
• Stress
• Being tired, sick, or hungry
• Period
• Bright, flickering, or flashing light
• Air pressure or altitude changes
• Changes in your sleep schedule
• Sex
• Neck pain
• Smoke
• Heat
• Changes in your caffeine intake
• Strong odors
• Loud noise
• Exercise

A headache diary can help you and your doctor figure out what might be setting off your attacks. Note the date and time of the attack, any food you had eaten, what you were doing, and any medication you took before the headache began. It may take several weeks before you notice a pattern.

Migraine With Aura Diagnosis

Your doctor will do a physical exam and check your muscles, reflexes, speech, and senses. They'll likely ask questions about your symptoms and health history, such as:

• Do other family members have migraine or other kinds of headaches?
• What medications do you take, including birth control pills or blood pressure drugs?
• Do your headaches start after you work hard, cough, or sneeze?

Your doctor may do an eye exam to check whether vision issues might be causing your aura symptoms. Imaging tests like CT scans and MRIs can help rule out other possible causes of aura symptoms such as a transient ischemic attack (ministroke).

Migraine With Aura Treatment

Medications known as acute or abortive medications work quickly to stop migraine pain.

Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen may help, especially if you take them at the first signs of an aura. Your doctor can prescribe larger doses of NSAIDs. (No one under the age of 19 should take aspirin without a doctor's approval.) Be careful about using pain relievers too often, as this can lead to "rebound" headaches when they wear off.

Migarine With Aura Prevention

If other treatments don't work and you have migraine attacks on 4 or more days a month, your doctor may suggest preventive medicines. You take these regularly to make your headaches less strong or happen less often.

They include seizure medicines, blood pressure medicines (like beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers), and some antidepressants. A new class of preventive medicine called CGRP monoclonal antibodies may also help. You take them as a shot.

Getting injections of the botulinum toxin (Botox) every 3 months can also help prevent attacks.

Living With Migraine With Aura

Figuring out your migraine triggers and avoiding them can help you have fewer attacks. It may also help you:

• Stick to a regular schedule for meals and sleep
• Make sure you stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids
• Use stress-reduction techniques such as meditation or yoga
• Get regular exercise
• Use good posture to prevent neck strain

What to do when a migraine headache with aura hits

As soon as you notice symptoms of migraine with aura, take any medication you use and lie down in a quiet, dark room. Try putting a cold compress or heating pad on tight or painful areas.

Migraine With Aura Complications

Migraine with aura can be painful and interfere with your daily life, but it doesn't usually cause serious health complications. In rare cases, it could lead to:

Seizures. It's possible to have an epileptic seizure that's triggered by an attack of migraine with aura. It usually happens within an hour of the migraine attack. You might hear this called "migralepsy."

Stroke. A stroke linked to migraine is called a migrainous stroke. It's more likely to affect people who have migraine with aura than those whose attacks don't include auras.

Long-lasting aura. You could have an aura that lasts more than a week after your headache ends.

Status migrainosus. This is when a migraine attack lasts longer than 72 hours. You may need to go to the hospital if this happens.

Other Causes of an Aura

An epilepsy aura is sometimes called a focal aware seizure. Symptoms may only last a few seconds to several minutes. But it can be a sign that a more serious seizure is about to happen. You may get it before you faint. If you know what to look out for, you may be able to get somewhere safe before your seizure starts.

Symptoms of an epilepsy aura include:

• A feeling of déjà vu
• An uneasy feeling in your stomach
• A weird taste or smell
• A strong sense of joy or fear
• Numbness or pain in your head or limbs
• Dizziness
• Nervousness
• Nausea

You'll need to prevent your seizures to stop the auras. Your doctor can help you find the right treatment. They may give you medicine. In some cases, you may need nerve stimulation or surgery. If other treatments fail, your doctor may suggest a special diet.

A migraine with aura attack can come before a stroke. But it happens in less than 1% of all strokes. Experts aren't sure why this happens. They do know that you're more likely to have a stroke if you have a history of migraine with aura. It's also more common in women who are 45 or younger. That may be because of hormonal changes. Hormonal birth control also raises the chances you'll get blood clots.

Takeaways

Migraine with aura is when your migraine headaches come with sensory changes like blurred vision, ringing in the ears, or dizziness. While it doesn't usually cause serious health complications, it can be very painful and interfere with your daily life. The right treatment can help prevent or stop these attacks, so see a doctor if you have symptoms of migraine with aura.

Migraine With Aura FAQs

What does a migraine aura look like?

Visual aura symptoms may include:

• Flashing lights
• Small bright dots or colored spots
• Jagged lines
• Blurriness
• Blind spots
• Your field of vision moves like a heat wave or water
• The sizes of things you see look distorted

What triggers migraine with aura attacks?

The same things that trigger all types of migraine headaches can trigger attacks of migraine with aura. They include:

• Stress
• Hormonal changes
• Certain foods, like aged cheese and processed meats
• Skipping meals
• Too much or too little sleep
• Alcohol or smoking
• Too much or too little caffeine
• Changes in the weather

How long do migraine auras last?

Migraine auras generally last an hour or less.

What happens to the brain during a migraine aura?

An aura is thought to result from a chemical or an electrical wave that spreads across part of your brain. If this wave affects areas of your brain that control vision, you have visual symptoms. If it affects areas involved in speech, you may have trouble talking. These waves don't cause lasting changes or damage to your brain.