Most scientists believe that the causes of ocular migraines are quite similar to those of a traditional migraine. The only difference is the change in the area impacted by the blood supply. Traditional migraines usually generate from the surface area of the brain, but the cause of ocular migraines is the reduction in the blood supply to the vision center of the brain.
Some of the main causes of ocular migraine include anxiety, chocolates, travel, lack of sleep, bright lights, and artificial sweeteners. Highly sweetened coffee drinks along with other caffeine products have been shown to trigger sever ocular migraines. In fact, a more common ocular migraine cause is a food or environmental trigger - so it's best to try to identify and avoid them. Allergies can also trigger ocular migraines. Additional ocular migraine causes are certain foods, alcohol consumption, medications, or changes in hormone levels due to menstruation.
Do You Have Ocular Migraines?
According to statistics, 28 million America suffer from migraines every year. Most traditional migraines are characterized as having powerful head pains, nausea and sensitivity to light. But did you know that there are 150 diagnostic headache categories? Ocular migraines are only one type of migraine that involves the eyes, with or without an accompanying headache. Image distortion generally begins in the center of the image and then moves to one side. Sight impairment along with images looking "grayed out" may occur. This type of migraine usually starts with the small blind spot within the peripheral vision, and the spot increases gradually over five to ten minutes to encompass the full peripheral portion of the vision, resulting in object fuzziness or complete blindness.
Avoid Ocular Migraines
Make sure that you eat regular small meals as hunger can sometimes trigger the ocular episode. Did you know that stress is leading cause of ocular migraines? With that said utilizing different relaxation methods such as yoga, tai chi and meditation can be helpful in reducing stress.
At the onset of ocular migraine, it can be very disturbing to become slowly blind in one eye, but the key is to keep calm. Find a quiet and dark place, and rest for 20 to 30 minutes. If you suffer from frequent ocular migraines, consult your doctor to identify and then eliminate the causes of ocular migraine. A simple analgesic such as aspirin may provide the immediate relief. Cafergot is the combination of caffeine and tartrate, and is usually quite helpful. Not only does ergotamine treat headaches along with side affects that are associated with them like for example nausea, vomiting, tingling and cramps; ergotamine can also be used to successfully treat migraines.
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