visual migraine

[timsk46@gmail.com]

I am 78 and have been rowing for 34 years. I have experienced visual migraines for over ten years. The medical term is scintillating scotoma. There are vaious descriptions of this symptom in medical literature. Mine are shimmering visual fields, usually in one eye, that appear in the first 15 to 30 minutes after rowing, more often on water than on the erg, and persist for 10 minutes at most. They are more common in hot weather and may be influenced by temporary dehydration. I have a referral to an opthamologist from my general doctor, but unless they become more frequent or persist I may not follow through on it. Anyone else having these symptoms?

[winniewinser]

I am 78 and have been rowing for 34 years. I have experienced visual migraines for over ten years. The medical term is scintillating scotoma. There are vaious descriptions of this symptom in medical literature. Mine are shimmering visual fields, usually in one eye, that appear in the first 15 to 30 minutes after rowing, more often on water than on the erg, and persist for 10 minutes at most. They are more common in hot weather and may be influenced by temporary dehydration. I have a referral to an opthamologist from my general doctor, but unless they become more frequent or persist I may not follow through on it. Anyone else having these symptoms?

Yes to headaches especially after an intense session. Got one today after a full on 30R20 but mainly a pain behind the right eye and tight temple. Definitely get more post intense efforts but todays was coming on before from laptop work all day.

Eyes tested, new glasses, still get them. Mine could be around posture while sitting (which I do all day )

[gvcormac]

I have atypical migraine with aura. No headache, blurry blotch at centre of focus and circular laser show in both eyes. Not clear what brings them on. Sometimes I have several in a week; sometimes none for months on end. I think it has been at least six months since I last had one.

When it first happened a dozen or so years ago, I went to emergency, got CT scans and opthalmic workup. They said "atypcial migraine" which I thought was crazy at the time. But since then I've done more research and it fits. I simply ignore them and they go away in 20-30 minutes. If possible I rest until they go away, but if not I just carry on.

You say "one eye" which leads me to wonder about your diagnosis.

[jamesg]

If you see the same identical scintillating scotoma (SC) in both eyes, it's not an eye problem. But it could be a serious symptom, especally if you notice other effects. In this case go to the ER now.

It could be due to one of the carotid arteries in the neck getting partly blocked, limiting blood flow to the brain. There's a biforcation where that happens.

I've had my Lx carotid cleaned twice. Both times the SCs disappeared.

In bed and lying on my left side, for months I had heard the blood whistling in my left ear. The second time when I had tingling in my right arm too, I went to the ER Saturday morning in my pyjamas and by 11am on Monday 1st May was on the table.

Left the hospital on the Friday, never saw an SC since. No whistle either.

[iain]

Just get the more normal aura, usually in one eye preceding full on migraines. Never brought on by rowing, but once tried to row through and ended up making a real mess when breakfast ended up in the fan. The worst part of mine are the mental effects where I have a feeling of panic and cannot reason sometimes unable to speak and occassionally sagging on one side of face (scared me when had first at 26!). Vomitting follows and headache only starts when the other symptoms have cleared (usually 1-2 hours), but symptoms persist if I don't rest up.

[gvcormac]

Both of your one-eye reports caused me to revisit the literature. Indeed "migraine with aura" is both eyes, but "retinal migraine" is one eye. Aura may or may not be associated with headache; retinal generally precedes headache.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-con ... q-20058113

[iain]

Thanks for the link. As I have most of the other Aura symptoms, I would be surprised if this was not what I was experiencing. As described by reasoning is substantially affected and so it is difficult to be precise about symptoms. Notably the headache is almost always localised behind one eye, although I know that the visual area of the brain is further back, I don't see why the aura might not effect parts of the brain more closely connected to one eye. There may well be symptoms in both eyes, it is just that usually I only notice this in one eye and indeed have closed this eye to improve vision on ocassions. That said, the key for the OP is that I have not noticed a link to rowing and have experienced episodes at least as often during periods of no rowing.

[gvcormac]

Interesting. To be clear, when I have aura, I see it with both eyes shut, one eye shut and one eye open, or both eyes open. And the blind spot (wavy or blank, but not black, exactly where you focus to read a letter of text) is the same in both eyes.