Retinal migraine

Causes of retinal migraine

Retinal migraine is caused by the blood vessels to the eye suddenly narrowing (constricting), reducing the bloodflow to the eye.

It may be triggered by :

stress
smoking
high blood pressure
hormonal birth control pills
exercise
bending over
high altitude
dehydration
low blood sugar
excessive heat

Afterwards the blood vessels relax, bloodflow resumes and sight returns. Usually there are no abnormalities within the eye and permanent damage to the eye is rare.

Retinal migrainetends to be more common in:

women
people aged under 40
people with a personal or family history of migraines or other headaches
people with an underlyingdisease such as lupus , hardening of the arteries , sickle cell disease , epilepsy , antiphospholipid syndrome , and giant cell arteritis

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018

Articles for retinal migraine

Introduction

Read about a retinal migraine (ocular migraine), an eye condition that causes brief episodes of blindness or visual problems like flashing lights in one eye.

Symptoms of retinal migraine

The symptoms of retinal migraine may include: partial or total loss of vision in one eye this usually lasts 10 to 20 minutes before vision gradually returns headache this may happen before, durin

When to seek medical advice

If your eyesight suddenly deteriorates, make an emergency appointment to see anoptician trained to recognise eye abnormalities and signs of eye disease(optometrist),your GP, or call NHS 111 . Use our

Diagnosingretinal migraine

If you manage to see a GP or optometrist during an attack, they may be able to see the decreased bloodflow to your eye using an instrument called an ophthalmoscope. In this case the GP or optometrist

Causes of retinal migraine

Retinal migraine is caused by the blood vessels to the eye suddenly narrowing (constricting), reducing the bloodflow to the eye. It may be triggered by : stress smoking high blood pressure ho

Treatment for retinal migraine

Treatment for retinal migraine usually just involves taking pain relief for any headaches and reducing exposure to anything that might be triggering the retinal migraine. Your doctor may sometimes pr

Possible complications of retinal migraine

There's a small risk that the reduced bloodflow may damagethethin layer at the back of the eye (the retina) and theblood vessels of the eye. This will be monitored in yourfollow-up appointments. Perma

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