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| image from myaspiebrain |
This visual aura was first described in the 19th century by a Dr. Hubert Airy who had migraine headaches. The visual sparks and flashes are in a zig-zag pattern and they can precede a migraine headache or occur without any pain. The scotoma affects both eyes and closing one or the other does not make it go away. Sometimes the term "ocular migraine" or "retinal migraine" are used to describe this phenomenon but these involve only one eye, not both. The terms are often used interchangeably but they are not the same.
My scintillating scotoma lasted about 15 minutes and it took me awhile to figure out what it was. I went outside and gazed into the distance and it persisted. I closed one eye and then the other and it was still there. I never got a headache or any other symptoms. Then it just went away.
The next time a patient with classic migraine with aura comes in, I will have a better understanding of the prodrome before the headache. I hope I don't have to experience the entire headache. I could do without that.
11 comments:
Scarry, Poor Dr. Toni :-(
Sorry this happened to you Dr.Brayer but it made an interesting blog post.
Hope you are you feeling better now.
I have had this all my life, but not bilaterally. It seems to be triggered by spectral light, comes on gradually over five minute to maximum area (25% of field of vision), and then gradually fades again over 20 minutes.. Just have to wait it out. Happens in either eye, but not simultaneously.
Glad to know what this is--I've tried to describe it to opthamologists however my attempt at description was apparently insufficient to identify the syndrome.
Appreciate the website.
LeRoi Johnson
I had a small "negative scotoma" in my right eye that came on suddenly and persisted for a couple of years. It looked like the spot left when you glance at the sun or see a camera flash go off. Once I realized I wasn't detaching a retina or having a stroke, it was just annoying. After awhile I stopped noticing it, and eventually I realized it was gone. Bizarre, the things that happen to people every day that we have never heard of!
I've had migraines all my adult life but not until I was 50 did I start getting scintillating scotomata. These are definitely interesting phenomena. Thankfully they are fairly rare; the headaches are much more common.
To day so many people have the migraine problems.I can see here the visual aura from which i was not aware.You note is really very informative and interesting.
I guess I just experienced scintillating scotoma for the first time myself...weird stuff! I went over to the computer while it was happening...it lasted a little more than 5 minutes. As I try to figure this out, my best guess is acephalgic (or silent) migraine. With that diagnosis in mind, I think I might also be able to make sense of a cluster of other odd symptoms I've had over a period of years, all of which yielded negative results upon testing, both ophthalmological and neurological (2 neuro evals with MRIs and a 72-hour EEG, plus a full retinal evaluation). At various times, I've experienced muscle weakness and numbness in my left arm, accompanied by light-headedness (for a total of about 20-30 occasions), each episode lasting only about 15 seconds or so. I once found both my speech and writing blurry for about an hour or so. And finally, I experienced a single episode of a sort of largish floater located mostly on one side of my visual field. Each time one of these strange things occurred, I was somewhat frightened, but then every assessment came back with completely normal results. Somehow, all of this taken together, and considered alongside my mother's very long history of headaches (probably migraines), leads me to a self-diagnosis of [various] auras without migraines. What do you think?
I almost forgot...I started having these symptoms in my mid-40's; I am now in my mid-50's (and still not quite fully menopausal).
I had a scintillating scotoma yesterday (age 55) for the first time. Scared the heck out of me -- I didn't know what is was or if it was going to stop. Flashing, primary colored triangles that grew from a quarter moon to a complete circle. Then moved to "white out" spots. Glad to know what it is!
I happen to get these once in a few years. I noticed that it always happens after waking up from a really long night sleep.
I usually sleep 6-8 hours a night. It happened a few times that I slept for 13-14 hours and then I got about 10-20 minutes after I woke up.
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