Eye problems triggering factors of migraine

The different types of eye migraines

One of the most common triggering factors of migraines, in addition to stress and changes in hormonal imbalances, is eye problems. This is actually not surprising since the primary cause of migraines are constrictions in the blood vessels that go to the neural center. The eyes, being one of the senses in the body, have blood vessels directly going towards the brain. In fact, migraines are often called vascular headaches because of the important roles that blood vessels play in the problem.

But if you think that all those painful headaches that you have experienced in the past because of your eyes are all the same, you thought wrong. Unknown to many, there are actually different kinds of eye migraines. There are the ocular migraines; the acephalgic migraine, which is most commonly referred to as the silent migraine; and the ophthalmoplegic migraines.

Migraine with no headache
Surprisingly, acephalgic migraine is a migraine without the headache. Although migraines have long been associated with headaches, one must remember that pain is not the only symptom of this condition. People suffering from migraine may also experience vomiting, abdominal pain, nausea and dizziness, congestion and visual problems. These visual problems are the main symptoms of acephalgic eye migraine.

People with this condition may get visual disturbances that will last for less than an hour. There will also be a lot of dizzy spells and nausea. Basically, acephalgic eye migraine is treated the same way other types of migraines are treated. Caution, however, should be observed, as there are other diseases with the similar symptoms. It is best to consult a doctor if you do have these symptoms so that proper diagnosis may be given.

From the name itself, ocular migraines are another type of eye migraines. These are quite rare, where you get either a partial or a complete blindness in one eye or two for a period of less than an hour. The affected area will depend upon what artery has the constriction.

Like acephalgic eye migraine, this may come without headaches although there are cases when headaches occur after the visual disturbances. What is difficult about this problem is that episodes can be pretty unpredictable, with migraine attacks occurring anywhere from every week to every year. Some will even count years before they have another eye migraine attack.

The third kind of the eye migraine is the ophthalmic migraine, which basically has the same symptoms as the ocular migraine.

The only difference is that these eye migraines occur at the peak of another migraine. For instance, if one suffers from migraine, it is likely that an eye disturbance like a partial or complete blindness will also occur. This is actually one of the most common eye migraines. However, the International Headache Society does not use it perhaps because it is part of another migraine attack. This is why it is hard to get information about this. There is no official name.

Another type of eye migraine is the ophthalmoplegic migraine. This is very very rare. In fact, some experts believe that it is not even a migraine. With this type of eye migraine, the pain the head is very severe. There will also be a weakness in the eye muscles, leading to temporary double vision and dilated pupil. This is most often diagnosed in children.