Visual Disturbances

Visual disturbances are mainly triggered by migraine headaches, but they can also be initiated by local eye disorders (e.g., glaucoma). These have the ability to create a border or halo-like effect around objects. Visual disturbances, also known as transient ischemic attacks, may suggest the onset of a stroke. Aside from the fact that ischemic attacks mainly affect the elderly, they can also be mistaken for disorders caused by migraines. With a migraine, visual disturbances may take place prior to or during the headache. If the visual disturbance is related to the headache, the incidence of blurred vision and increased headache due to light (photophobia) are the norm.

The migraine aura is generally visual and paves the way for a migraine between 20 and 60 minutes before. Once in a while, the aura will carry on into the headache stage of migraine or may not even show up until the headache has completely started.

There is a plethora of visual phenomena that appear as migraine related auras. When a person sees large bursts of light in their line of sight similar to the flashes of an old-fashioned camera bulb, this is called photopsia. Fortification spectra, or teichopsia, are the glimmering, jagged lines that sometimes spread across the field of vision. The term fortification spectra comes from the idea that it resembles the walls of ancient fortresses. Metamorphopsia, also referred to as the "Alice in Wonderland Syndrome," is the misrepresentation of the size, shape, and color of visual images. Some people may also experience scotoma, which is the partial loss of vision. This can range from blank spots across the field to tunnel vision, where everything goes blank except for a narrow path in front of you.

Prescriptions like tricyclic antidepressants can contribute to blurriness and problems focusing.

Orlando, Florida 20 North Orange Avenue Suite 1600 Orlando, Florida 32801 Telephone: (800) 896-2709	Tampa, Florida One Tampa City Center 201 N. Franklin Street, 7th Floor Tampa, Florida 33602 Telephone: (800) 896-2709	Jacksonville, Florida 76 S. Laura Street Suite 1100 Jacksonville, Florida 32202 Telephone: (800) 896-2709	Fort Myers, Florida 12800 University Drive Suite 600 Fort Myers, Florida 33907 Telephone: (800) 896-2709	Davie, Florida 7450 Griffin Road Suite 230 Davie, Florida 33314 Telephone: (800) 896-2709
St. Petersburg, Florida 695 Central Avenue, Suite 150J St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 Telephone: (800) 896-2709	Atlanta, Georgia 191 Peachtree Street NE Suite 4200 Atlanta, GA 30303 Telephone: (800) 896-2709	Jackson, Mississippi 188 East Capitol St Jackson, Mississippi 39201 Telephone: (800) 896-2709

Alabama	Alaska	Arizona	Arkansas	California	Colorado	Connecticut	Delaware	Florida	Georgia	Hawaii	Idaho
Illinois	Indiana	Iowa	Kansas	Kentucky	Louisiana	Maine	Maryland	Massachusetts	Michigan	Minnesota	Mississippi
Missouri	Montana	Nebraska	Nevada	New Hampshire	New Jersey	New Mexico	New York	North Carolina	Ohio	Oklahoma	Oregon
Pennsylvania	Rhode Island	South Carolina	Tennessee	Texas	Utah	Vermont	Virginia	Washington	West Virginia	Wisconsin	Wyoming