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Migraine aura symptoms typically occur before the head pain begins, in the prodrome period. These symptoms are considered a warning sign that the migraine attack is on its way, usually within an hour – although a small number of people experience migraine aura without head pain.
The most common migraine aura symptoms are vision changes and visual disturbances such as seeing flashing lights, or blurry vision, or seeing odd shapes and colors caused by visual aura. In fact, more than 90 percent of migraine auras involve visual symptoms, which can include the illusion of seeing halos or having blind spots. Some people see jagged lights in their peripheral vision, while others may see rainbows.
Migraine aura also causes changes in the rest of the senses for some people. This phenomenon is called sensory aura. These symptoms include numbness, tingling or the sensation of pins and needles that spreads from one part of the body to another. Some sufferers simply complain of odd sensations in different body parts prior to the migraine attack.
Other migraine aura symptoms include
- Vomiting, which is usually accompanied by nausea
- Speech disturbances, problems articulating, writing or speaking
- Abdominal pain, which is sometimes diagnosed as abdominal migraine
- Vertigo
- In very rare cases, amnesia (brief one or two hour spells, occurs once or twice in a lifetime, when people can’t remember any details of conversation or activity)
- Yawning
- Food cravings
- Mood changes
- Fluid retention
Written by: Otesa Miles / Reviewed by: John-Claude Krusz, PhD, MD | Last review date: November 2010. Click the References Link below for a complete list of references.
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Migraine aura without headache: Benign, but a diagnosis of exclusion Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine Kunkel 2005
"I had my first migraine when I was 12. I thought I was going blind, the spots in my vision all grouped together and everything went black. The pain was intense and felt like my head would crack open above my right eye." 
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