Question
I am 26 and have experienced migraines for as long as I can remember, though luckily they had been infrequent in adulthood. They generally begin with white spots in my vision, moving into an extreme blurred tunnel vision wherein the only discernible object is the one I am directly focused on, sometimes narrowing to a pinpoint field of vision. Following that, if untreated, they move into pain and nausea that are totally crippling... and even if preventative measures are taken there is a phase of confusing thought like trippy nightmare playing in the background of my conscious thought. I try to sleep through this. And finally, following that, is what is usually a day of extreme exhaustion and a disconnected feeling, usually accompanied by slightly impaired vision. A final note on that is that the symptoms in each phase (aura, pain, ...hangover?) are always more extreme in my right eye, which is significantly more impaired (nearsightedness) than my left.
In my adulthood, because the migraines had been fewer and further between, it has been easier for me to notice commonalities and potential causes, and I have begun attributing it to an existing photosensitivity. If I have a day stuck in the house by myself and play videogames and surf the Net for most of my waking day, it's no surprise to find myself wincing at the glare from passing traffic the next day... and then I get a migraine.
Is it possible that the eye is the problem? My eye exams are regular and my lenses have always been up-to-date. Never has an exam caused worry; there aren't any common and obvious injuries or disorders concerning my eye. Is there something the exams may be overlooking that could be causing all of this?
The nagging thought that prompts me to ask is that my last exam showed that the vision deterioration in my right eye was accelerating for the first time since I was a kid, and it correlates to a rebirth of the frequent migraines I had then.
I'm in a lot of pain lately. Should I think to blame my eye?
Answer
Dear Justin,
Firstly if you use the computers for long hours, then I hope you are sitting correctly in fron t of the PC? please read for these tips on www.shroffeye.org
Secondly, please visit an optometrist who can prescribe you a pair of computer glasses ,w hich are prescriptive, but are only meant for PC use to neutralize the negative effects the PC has on our eyes.
Thirdly, yes, if your eye check is due, then please check that
Lastly, this seems to be ophthalmic migraine also, so also get your blood pressure checked as fluctuation in this cause visual symptoms like you describe. Stresss is also a trigger factor.
It will be a step wise ruling out that will conclude what is the cause for your symptoms.
Hope this helps,
Best,
Dr Shroff
