Tips For Managing And Preventing Visual Migraines
If your visual migraine occurs frequently, here are some tips to help you prevent or manage the condition.
- Acupressure. This is an evidence-based practice of applying pressure with hands to specific points on the body to relieve pain and other symptoms. It can be an effective alternative therapy for migraine headaches.
- Lavender oil. Lavender oil can be inhaled or applied diluted to the temples to ease your migraine pain.
- Peppermint oil. According to a 2010 study, the menthol in peppermint oil can minimize migraines.6 The research showed that applying menthol to the forehead and temples relieved migraine-related pain, nausea, and light sensitivity.
- Yoga. Yoga uses breathing, meditation, and body postures to promote health and well-being, relieving the frequency, duration, and intensity of migraines.
- Massage therapy. Massage reduces stress and enhances coping skills. It also lowers heart rate, anxiety, and cortisol levels.
- Herbal supplements. Butterbur and feverfew are common herbal remedies that may aid with migraine pain and frequency reduction.
- Avoid Triggers. Ocular migraine triggers such as caffeinated foods, alcohol, dehydration, smoking, or stress
- Unwind at the end of the day. Basic things like listening to soothing music or taking a warm bath after a long day can help your body relax and prevent migraines.
What Are The Symptoms Of Migraines
The primary symptom of migraine is a headache. Pain is sometimes described as pounding or throbbing. It can begin as a dull ache that develops into pulsing pain that is mild, moderate or severe. If left untreated, your headache pain will become moderate to severe. Pain can shift from one side of your head to the other, or it can affect the front of your head, the back of your head or feel like its affecting your whole head. Some people feel pain around their eye or temple, and sometimes in their face, sinuses, jaw or neck.
Other symptoms of migraine headaches include:
- Sensitivity to light, noise and odors.
- Nausea and vomiting, upset stomach and abdominal pain.
- Loss of appetite.
- Feeling very warm or cold .
- Pale skin color .
What Are The Four Stages Or Phases Of A Migraine Whats The Timeline
The four stages in chronological order are the prodrome , aura, headache and postdrome. About 30% of people experience symptoms before their headache starts.
The phases are:
It can take about eight to 72 hours to go through the four stages.
Don’t Miss: How To Cure Migraine Permanently
Symptoms Common To Migraine And Dry Eye
Symptoms are present in both conditions, but there are usually no obvious clinical signs that indicate a direct physical cause, such as nerve damage or structural problems.
Sensory issues and eye pain are common symptoms that migraine and dry eye share. Having both conditions means that these symptoms may be compounded.
Both migraine and dry eye can negatively affect your quality of life. They may reduce the ability to do activities of daily living like watching TV, reading, driving, or working on a computer.
Headache Behind The Eye Treatment
Learning to avoid your triggers may prevent headaches or make them less painful. If you do get one, there are many kinds of treatments.
Medication for headache behind the eye
Over-the-counter pain medicine can ease occasional headaches. It may even help with migraines if you take it early enough. Doctors often recommend acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or naproxen . But remember that taking them too often can trigger overuse headaches.
If you get frequent tension headaches, your doctor may prescribe medication. Antidepressants like amitriptyline help many people.
Sometimes, prescription drugs are the only things that will ease migraine pain. Some of the most common are triptans such as almotriptan , eletriptan , rizatriptan , sumatriptan , and zolmitriptan . They help most people within 2 hours if taken early enough. People who get chronic migraines often take medicine like beta-blockers or antidepressants every day to help cut back on how many they have.
Breathing pure oxygen may bring relief of cluster headaches. Injected triptans like sumatriptan and lidocaine nose drops might also help. Some people take medicines such as verapamil or prednisone to prevent attacks.
Treat a sinus headache by clearing up the infection. Your doctor might suggest antibiotics and .
Home remedies for headache behind the eye
Caffeine or ice packs may help with migraine pain.
Show Sources
Also Check: Ear Piercing Chart For Migraines
Can Migraines Be Prevented Or Avoided
Medicine to prevent migraines may be helpful if your headaches happen more than 2 times a month. You may want to consider this medicine if your headaches make it hard for you to work and function. These medicines are taken every day, whether you have a headache or not.
Preventive medications for migraines can include prescription drugs often used to treat other ailments. Anti-seizure medicines, antidepressants, medicines to lower blood pressure, and even Botox injections are some of the preventive medications your doctor may prescribe. Calcitonin gene-related peptide inhibitors can also help prevent migraines. They do so by blocking a gene-related peptide in your sensory nerves. This peptide is known to increase during a migraine attack, so blocking it can help prevent migraines.
There are also a number of non-medical treatments designed to help minimize migraine pain and frequency. One is an electrical stimulation device, which has been approved by the FDA. It is a headband that you wear once a day for 20 minutes to stimulate the nerve linked to migraines. Another non-medical treatment is counseling aimed at helping you feel in more control of your migraines. This counseling works best when paired with medical prevention of migraines as well.
What Symptoms Must You Have To Be Diagnosed With A Migraine
Migraine with aura . This is a headache, plus:
- Visual symptoms or vision loss.
- Sensory symptoms .
Migraine without aura . A common migraine is a headache and:
- The attacks included pain on one side of your head.
- Youve had at least five attacks, each lasting between four and 72 hours.
Plus, youve experienced at least one of the following:
- Nausea and/or vomiting.
- Lights bother you and/or you avoid light.
- Sounds bother you and/or you avoid sounds.
Recommended Reading: At Home Remedies For Migraine Headaches
Youre Dealing With A Cluster Headache
A cluster headache is all about the eye painit usually causes pain in and around one of your eyes or on the side of your head, according to the Mayo Clinic. Cluster headaches typically happen in phases called cluster periods, which can last anywhere from a few weeks to multiple months and cause frequent attacks that last from 15 minutes to 3 hours.
A cluster headache will often wake you up in the middle of the night with intense pain in or around one eye on one side of your head. The pain behind the eye is severe, Dr. Mikhail says.
Cluster headaches can also cause symptoms on the same side as your head pain, like red or watery eyes, a stuffy nose, forehead sweat, and eyelid drooping or swelling, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. These headaches seem to be linked to the sudden release of histamine or serotonin in the body. When in a cluster cycle, attacks may be triggered by alcohol, moving to a high altitude, bright light, exercise, heat, and foods with nitrates .
The good news: Cluster headaches are rare. But because they come on so fast and go away quickly, cluster headaches can be tricky to treat. However, treatments can range from things like supplemental oxygen to triptans and local anesthetics . There are also a number of preventative treatments that can be given at the beginning of a cluster period to suppress attacks.
What Are The Different Types Of Migraine Aura
There are three main types of migraine auras:
Recommended Reading: What Vitamin Deficiency Causes Migraines
What Is The Prognosis For People With Migraines
Migraines are unique to each individual. Likewise, how migraines are managed is also unique. The best outcomes are usually achieved by learning and avoiding personal migraine triggers, managing symptoms, practicing preventive methods, following the advice of your healthcare provider and reporting any significant changes as soon as they occur.
Whats A Migraine Journal
- Keeping a migraine journal is not only beneficial to you, but it helps your healthcare provider with the diagnosis process. Your journal should be detailed and updated as much as possible before, during and after a migraine attack. Consider keeping track of the following:
- The date and time of when the migraine began specifically when the prodrome started, if youre able to tell its happening. Track time passing. When did the aura phase begin? The headache? The postdrome? Do your best to tell what stage youre in and how long it lasts. If theres a pattern, that may help you anticipate what will happen in the future.
- What are your symptoms? Be specific.
- Note how many hours of sleep you got the night before it happened and your stress level. Whats causing your stress?
- Note the weather.
- Log your food and water intake. Did you eat something that triggered the migraine? Did you miss a meal?
- Describe the type of pain and rate it on a one to 10 scale with 10 being the worst pain youve ever experienced.
- Where is the pain located? One side of your head? Your jaw? Your eye?
- List all of the medications you took. This includes any daily prescriptions, any supplements and any pain medication you took.
- How did you try to treat your migraine, and did it work? What medicine did you take, at what dosage, at what time?
- Consider other triggers. Maybe you played basketball in the sunlight? Maybe you watched a movie that had flashing lights? If youre a woman, are you on your period?
Don’t Miss: My Migraine Won’t Go Away
Retinal Migraine Is A Rare Type Of Migraine That Can Cause Visual Symptoms In One Eye Most Attacks Are Short
Do you get symptoms like twinkling lights, flashes or temporary vision loss in one eye only? You may have retinal migraine, a type of migraine with repeated attacks of visual disturbances that happen in one eye. We spoke with Deborah I. Friedman, MD, MPH, a neuro-ophthalmologist and Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, for more information on identifying retinal migraine and understanding the differences with other types of headache.
What Causes Eye Pain During Migraines
Changes in hormone levels, such as serotonin and estrogen, may trigger migraine pain by causing contractions in blood vessels. Changes in estrogen levels may also make facial nerves like the nerves around the eye more sensitive. Women experience fluctuating estrogen levels, and they are more likely than men to experience migraines.
People who experience chronic migraines may also have differences in their trigeminal system, which controls many facial movements, including eye movement. These differences cause nerve overactivity, with nerve becoming hypersensitive and creating migraine eye pain. The eyes may be especially sensitive to nerve differences because they are more exposed than other body parts. The cornea contains trigeminal nerve endings, but it is only five cells apart from the surface of the body. Even small amounts of pressure or tiny irritants can cause tremendous eye pain during a migraine attack.
Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Hangover Headache
Common Ocular Migraine Triggers
The cause of ocular migraine is not the same as its triggers. Causes are what prompt the condition in the first place, but triggers provoke the electrical disturbance and mark the beginning of each migraine episode.
Optical migraine triggers may include:
- Excessive screen use
- Loud or abrupt sounds
- Powerful odors, whether pleasant or unpleasant
- Relaxation after a stressful event
- Changes in barometric pressure
- Alcohol, especially red wine
- Caffeine or withdrawal from caffeine
- Nitrates and nitrites
- Monosodium glutamate , a flavor additive found in many prepared foods such as fast foods, seasonings, spices, broths, and chips
- Tyramine found in aged cheeses, hard sausages, smoked fish, soy products, and fava beans
- Artificial sweeteners
- Changes in hormones during or before a menstrual cycle
These triggers may not always cause ocular migraine symptoms. Often migraines occur as a result of many triggers occurring at once.
What Type Of Doctor Do You See For Ocular Migraines
If you have ocular migraines, you can see an ophthalmologist oran optometrist.
Optometrists are eye care specialists who offer primary vision care services, including:
- Correction of visual problems
- Treatment and management of visual issues and eye diseases
On the other hand, ophthalmologists are medical practitioners who specialize in eye and vision care. They differ from optometrists in their degrees of schooling as well as what they can diagnose and cure.
An ophthalmologist is a healthcare professional who has finished college and has at least eight years of further medical studies. He or she is licensed to practice medicine and surgery. Ophthalmologists hold a Doctor of Medicine degree.
Optometrists are healthcare professionals who complete four additional years of school after finishing undergraduate studies. They hold a Doctor of Optometry degree.
Read Also: Is Naproxen Good For Headaches
Can High Blood Pressure Cause Ocular Migraines
Researchers are working to fully understand the relationship between high blood pressure and ocular migraines.
Current research points to the fact that migraine attacks are prevalent in people with high blood pressure.
Anyone suffering from high blood pressure is advised to get it under control, especially those with a known history of ocular migraines.
Headaches Behind The Eye Or Ocular Migraines
Its important not to confuse ocular migraines with generalised headaches behind the eye. Ocular migraines happen as a result of reduced blood flow to the eye, due to a sudden narrowing of the blood vessels, and usually occur in just one eye.
On the other hand, headaches behind the eyes are usually a symptom of traditional headache-type migraines, which can be caused by a number of conditions and external stimuli. Sensitivity to bright light , some prescription medications or simply staring at digital screens for too long can all lead to migraines and headaches behind the eyes.
Read Also: Does Blue Cross Blue Shield Cover Botox For Migraines
What Are The Symptoms Of Headaches Behind The Eyes
The symptoms that accompany headaches behind your eyes vary with the kind of headache you experience. Likewise, while you may have a migraine or tension headache, your symptoms will vary.
Similar types of pain often occur with several different kinds of headaches, which makes it challenging for doctors to diagnose them without information about your lifestyle. To identify which headaches you experience, look for specific symptoms associated with each one.
Migraines go beyond the pain in your head and may come with sensitivity to light or sound, nausea, weakness, mood changes, and even an aura before the headache begins. These headaches usually occur only on one side of the head.
Tension headaches can happen once or for several months, at which point your doctor will diagnose them as chronic headaches. Aside from pain behind your eyes, you may experience head tension, head tenderness, and forehead pressure.
Cluster headaches, like migraines, occur on one side of the head and create extreme pain. You might also feel sweaty or flushed, have teary or red eyes, and feel congested or have a runny nostril.
Sinus headaches can trigger pain anywhere your sinuses reach, including your eyes, nose, cheeks, forehead, and teeth. These headaches often accompany allergy symptoms like congestion, nasal discharge, and even fever. With sinus pain, you may notice the pain worsening over the course of the day.
What Are The Preventive Treatments For Migraine
Many patients with isolated visual migraines, without severe headaches, have relatively infrequent episodes that do not require specific preventive treatments. If a patient is aware of the particular triggers that seem to bring on an episode, then those triggers can be avoided.
In patients where the pattern of migraines includes frequent, severe headaches, it is very reasonable to consider additional preventive treatments. The main goal for any of these strategies is to reduce the overall frequency and severity of the headaches. None of the preventive treatments is a magic bullet that is 100% effective. For example, it would be considered successful if a preventive treatment helped reduce the number of severe headaches from 8 per month to 2-4 per month.
There are numerous medications that can be used as a preventive treatment for migraine. One medication that is used commonly, particularly because it has no side effects, is vitamin B2 . Approximately 100mg of riboflavin daily is thought to improve migraine headaches . One common side effect of riboflavin is that the urine turns bright yellow. Other herbal medications used to reduce migraine headaches include petasites and feverfew.
Also Check: Vitamins For Headaches And Dizziness