A Visual Migraine Is An Eye Condition usually without a Headache

Although the term visual migraine seems to imply the presence of a headache, this condition is not necessarily accompanied by a headache. A visual migraine is a disturbance that is temporary. The condition is a spasm that affects the vision. This spasm occurs in the vascular system or system of blood vessels in the brain. The vascular system in the brain includes the blood vessels that move the blood through the human body. When a visual migraine occurs, the blood does not reach the important organs of the body to maintain the proper visual functions provided by the brain.

The condition known as visual migraine affects the peripheral vision in particular. Those affected by this condition experience a disturbance that can be frightening at first. The vision of a person affected by this condition may be a blurred or distorted. They may experience light sensations in their vision. This condition is not related to the migraine headache, but it can be very disrupting to the activities of a person affected by these spasms. This condition is not painful or debilitating for an extended period of time like a migraine headache. After suffering an episode of visual migraine, a person might feel a slight headache, but not the debilitating, painful kind known as a migraine headache.

Many People Have Visual Migraines

The condition known as visual migraine affects many people temporarily. Those that suffer from migraine headaches feel a sensitivity to light hitting their eyes and sometimes the two conditions are confused. This condition is a disturbance in the vision, usually a blurring, that disappears after a short period of time. Sometimes an episode lasts as long as thirty minutes, but many times the visual migraines last only ten minutes. This condition requires no treatment because it goes away naturally and quickly.

A visual migraine might be caused by stress or exhaustion from a temporary situation. The spasms that bring on this condition are more common in women, especially those going through menopause, and adolescents. This condition can be a bit frightening and some people think that they might be having a stroke because of the effects on the vision. Blurred or disturbed vision is often caused by a visual migraine, but constant problems with the vision should be referred to a doctor for further examination. Vision problems could be the sign of more serious conditions as well as the sign of a visual migraine.