What The Heck Is An Ocular Migraine?
About a year and a bit ago, I was driving out of downtown Vancouver and up Granville Street when I saw a flash of light. I thought it rather odd and started looking around to see if I could determine the source. It was then I noticed a little fuzzy distortion in the centre of my vision. I hadn't a clue what it was but it quickly got bigger. Starting out as a little fuzzy dot that seemed to wiggle around, it grew larger until it covered my centre of vision - distorting everything.
Before it got too big, I pulled off onto 6th Avenue and parked the car because, after about five minutes I couldn't see anything clearly. I sat back and waited for my maker to appear and take me away as, for a few moments, I thought that this "was it". It must have been about ten or fifteen minutes until my vision was clear enough to get back on the road. As I made my way home, I became very tired and decided a nap was in order.
A week or two later, I was in the eye doctor's office and he couldn't tell me what may have caused it. My eyes were decent and I had no history of this kind of thing happening, so, it must have been a random experience.
But it happened again (actually, about once every two or three months) and I have been trying to determine what is happening. Unfortunately, Google failed me in attempting to find the right keywords for my experience and it wasn't until the other day (well done, Digg) that I found exactly what it is. Apparently, I have been suffering from "ocular migraines".
The term "migraine" usually brings to mind a severe type of headache. But visual disturbances with or without headache pain also can accompany migraine processes thought to be related to changes in blood flow in the brain. These visual problems associated with migraines technically are known as ophthalmic migraines, but are much more commonly (though incorrectly) called ocular migraines.
It sounds scary but is, apparently, quite harmless. (Just wait, now that I have written this, a large alien egg will hatch in my brain and excrete itself from my skull and proceed to eat people and I will want to "start the reactor" or some such nonsense.) Of course, I am somewhat concerned since it happens when "blood flow" is changed or something. At last, I have some idea about why I get these nasty little episodes. Now, what to do about them?
I think I should talk to Hugh Laurie. He always seems to know what to do.
Technorati Tags: ocular migraines, house, health
