Ocular migraines

[VGNonly]

I would call them kaleidoscope eyes; sparkly light flashes, sometimes cloudy, no headache. I would experience them 1-2 times a month, lasting 20-30 minutes. I heard that fermented and pickled food can aggravate the condition. Gave up pickles and sauerkraut, poof...they were gone. Haven't had a problem with them in a year.

[Freddie]

1. Interesting

I stopped getting those when I hit a certain age. Menopause is awesome.

[3catwoman3]

2. I've had two episodes of this - quite fascinating.

The first occurred a day or two after the C-section delivery of our first son. A pair of jagged horizontal black lines the looked like sideways lightning bolts. Unlike floaters, they didn’t move when I moved my eyes.

The second one was many years later, while I was at work. I was taking a patient history when a ribbon-like “thing” popped up that was actually quite pretty - aqua and gold, that looked like a sheer scarf waving in the wind.

[Shellback Squid]

3. I get them when I eat anything with MSG, gave up on it years ago and have had very few since

[Silent Type]

4. I've had a few. Problem is, the flashes/symptoms could be stroke, detached retina, vitreous

detachment, etc. I usually just close my eyes for 30 minutes or so if I can.

[gab13by13]

5. Opthalmic migraines

No one is sure of the cause, could be stress, could be certain food.

The best advice that I got was to sit back and enjoy the light show. Mine last for 15 - 20 minutes.

[NewHendoLib]

8. this! Mine tend to be blues and golds - a flashing zig zag/angles.

[KPN]

11. I get them with big changes in barometric pressure it seems.

I’ve been getting them for 30 plus years. Originally, the flashing multi-colored rods were followed by a blind area and usually a headache. I get them more frequently now, but just the light show and I do like you — just close my eyes for 20 mins or so, sometimes getting a nap in, and they disappear with no headache. They are sometimes also triggered by inadvertent bright flashes reflecting off chrome or glass. What’s weird is I can always sense I’m going to get one a few minutes before it (the squiggly light rods around the perimeter of my vision) appears. I sense something is different about my vision land then the flashing rods appear soon after.

[JohnSJ]

6. I get them infrequently. For me one trigger event seems to be fluorescent lights.

It resolves on its own, but a Valium will resolve it very quickly

Happens at most once a year. Very infrequently.

[NewHendoLib]

7. I've had them off and on for over 30 years.

no clear trigger - never a headache. They start with a fuzzing of the center of my field of vision - but the fuzziness is flashing zig zag lines that move off center, enlarge to fill the edges of my vision - then they are gone. Whole thing takes 20-30 minutes from beginning to end. I don't eat anything with vinegar. I eat all sorts of things. I've changed what I eat often over that 30 year span.

I just relax, enjoy the light show, wonder why they happen - and weeks or months could go by before it happens again.

It's a mystery!

[2naSalit]

9. I get them...

When I spend too much time looking at the screen but also they just happen, I have always had them. Since I was a toddler.

I just go and close my eyes for a while and wait at least a few hours if not until the next day to go on the computer. I am just thankful they are the headache kind of migraine.

[teach1st]

10. I thought it was just me

Been having them since adolescence. I have the symptoms described in previous posts, length of time is similar. Not mentioned is that during the height of it, I can't see features on people's faces and I can feel pressure on my eyes.

Recently, the most consistent trigger is driving into a morning sun. Avoiding prolonged screen time, using dark mode, and exercise (brisk walking for 30 minutes) upon waking up seem to work for me. I haven't been able to pinpoint a food trigger except for possibly caffeine.