
For example, one may perceive a straight line as wavy or blurred. This type of aura distorts what you see without adding or subtracting anything. With negative auras, one may experience blind spots, loss of peripheral vision, or a brief period of total vision loss. This is characterized by any loss of vision during a migraine, whether partial or total. A visual hallucination is also considered a positive aura. These perceived shapes may be colorful and move around the visual field or grow larger. For example, a person experiencing a positive aura may see zig-zag or squiggly lines, flashes, stars, or dots. This is when a person sees something that isn’t actually there. Understanding the other types of visual disturbances that may accompany a migraine can provide more clarity. Kaleidoscope vision is a component of only one type of visual aura. Other forms of auras include tingling in the hands or face, muscle weakness, and difficulty speaking. About 20% of people who suffer from migraines experience some type of aura, also known as a sensory disturbance. The most common cause of kaleidoscope vision is an ocular migraine, which is a migraine accompanied by visual symptoms. In many cases, visual auras precede headaches and migraines.Įpisodes of kaleidoscope vision usually last between 10-30 minutes, but can persist up to an hour. Visual symptoms like kaleidoscope vision can affect one or both eyes and can occur with or without a headache. A person experiencing kaleidoscope vision may perceive their visual field to be fractured, vividly colored, or scrambled - similar to looking through a kaleidoscope. However, they can interfere with regular daily activities, so best to take good care of yourself until the symptoms pass and get some medical help to keep them from coming back.Kaleidoscope vision is not a stand-alone condition, but rather a visual symptom of migraines or conditions like a stroke or brain injury. The visual disturbances are temporary and harmless to the eye. There are some known triggers for migraines that if avoided could help keep them from happening: stress, smoking, dehydration, red wine, change in barometric pressure and lack of sleep are just a few. The first thing to do about both kinds of migraines is to seek medical help, especially if you’re experiencing visual problems in just one eye which could mean a different, much more serious medical problem such as stroke or retinal detachment. Because the source of the problem for a migraine with aura is the brain, not the eyes, you would still be able to see the disturbance if you cover your eyes. For ocular migraines, the retina, or specifically the retinal blood vessels, is the source. In migraine with aura, the occipital cortex of the brain located at the base of the skull is the source. The source of the visual disturbances is different for the two types of headaches. Many researchers believe the symptoms are caused by a reduction in blood-flow to the brain which is possibly caused by a spasm in the blood vessels. The underlying cause for migraines of all kinds have not been definitively established. Also, the headache, which can also be accompanied by symptoms of nausea and severe light sensitivity, tends to be right behind the affected eye of an ocular migraine but can be more spread out for a migraine with aura. The visual disturbances tend to go away before the headache begins for the migraine with aura but can last longer for the ocular headache. Shimmering, colored, or flickering lights.The main difference is a migraine with aura will affect both eyes while an ocular migraine affects only one. The symptoms of the two conditions are almost the same except for a few telltale signs. Read on to learn the distinctions between the two. These two types of headaches are very similar making it very confusing to tell which is which. There is also another less common type of migraine with visual disturbance called an ocular migraine affecting only about one out of every 200 people who have migraines. Most likely what you have experienced is a migraine with aura accounting for approximately 20% of all migraines. If you suffer from migraines, you may have noticed some visual disturbances in addition to your headache. There’s nothing like it–the excruciating, throbbing pain in your head that can only be a migraine.
