Anyone get Ocular Migraines??

Riley&ZanesMom

Can you tell me any tricks you may know to make them go away faster...or really any info you have about them!

femmegem

I get them sometimes, but I get an aura before I get a regular migraine which looks exactly the same as an ocular migraine, so I never know whether it's an ocular migraine or a regular migraine until the pain comes on (or not).

I have no tricks. I know some people have luck getting rid of regular migraines with caffeine, but I don't know if that would work for an ocular one because I think those are caused by the blood vessels constricting. Seems like caffeine would only make that worse.

Well, according to this site (https://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/226/main.html) ocular migraines can involve pain around the eye. I don't get those. My ocular migraines consist only of the "visual disturbances" they talk about.

I don't know much more about them. I've always been most concerned about my classic migraines because those are the ones that disrupt my life the most, so I've never asked my doctor about the ocular ones.

Riley&ZanesMom

Ugh...with the ocular ones, it feels as though your eyes will fall out of the eye socket at any given moment....hurts more that anything I have ever experienced....the worst pain of my life.  Once the eye pain is gone after an hour and a half or so, then you get the regular head migraine. 

mlm1128

I get the type femme is describing.  I know a migraine is coming because I see an aura, then my vision goes double and it gets progressively worse from there. 

The only thing that really works for me is a heavy dose of Motrin and lying in a very dark room.  That is not usually an option...so I just suffer. 

Riley&ZanesMom

Do you know what triggers them??

femmegem

Stress, hormones, red wine, cigarettes, nitrates in cold cuts/bacon/etc, irregular schedule (too much sleep, too little sleep, not eating at regular times, etc.) are all pretty common triggers. For me caffeine triggers them and dairy products, too. You might want to start keeping a journal of what you're eating, how you're sleeping, all that and see if you can determine what your triggers are.

You might also want to go see a neurologist if you haven't already. I'm not sure about the ocular ones, but for my regular migraines triptans work (like Imitrex, Relpax, etc.). They're actually amazing and allow me to almost feel normal.

wellfleet04

I don't know if what I get is ocular migraines, but I get the kind where the pain is concentrated all behind one eye and I just want to press my eyeball back into my head as hard as I can to relieve some of it.  Is that what you mean? 

I do use caffeine and Imitrex (when not pregnant) and that works pretty well.  Lying in a dark room with either an ice pack or a heating pad (sometimes alternating) is usually necessary too.

My triggers: red wine, citrus fruit, strong cheese (sometimes), smoking, changes in humidity/air pressure, stress, being somewhere with too little air (plane, cooped up someplace, etc).