Visual Disturbances

By picitup

1 min read

Hi All

I'm not sure if I have silent migraines or not and would appreciate any comments anyone has.

A few weeks ago I was watching the tv and my entire visual field rocked from side to side. I got checked out and they didn't find anything.

A little later, I bent down to open a gate and it happened again.

Then in the supermarket I looked down and the ground zoomed up towards me. I looked up and everything was normal.

Then I went out the back for a vape, sat down and could see a solid grey cloud just off centre in my left eye and it had shimmering lights travelling downward, almost like sparkly rain inside.

It lasted for about 2 minutes, and then slowly reduced over about a minute until it was gone.

I'm seeing an optometrist as I have some small marks on my retina but I don't think it's macular degeneration as all the pics show a dark area in the centre with fuzzy edges.

I rarely get headaches, so am wondering if it could be silent migraines?

Steve

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Migraine.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

Join the conversation

Please read our rules before commenting.

Nancy Harris Bonk Moderator
Hi Steve, Thank you for sharing that with us. As much as I wish I could tell you what's going on, only a qualified medication professional can do that after you've had a complete exam and after he/she goes over your symptoms and medical history. You may want to see your doctor to make sure everything checks out. Keep us posted, Nancy
1. Nancy Harris Bonk Moderator
 Hi Steve, How did you make out at the optometrist? Nancy
2. picitup Member
 Hi Kerry that's very interesting thanks. I've never heard of Alice in Wonderland syndrome. I'm on quite a bit of medication probably the most significant is Quetiapine for bipolar but I've been on it for years and these disturbances are quite new. Nancy thanks for asking. The upshot of the tests were that I have a Vitelliform which is a small yoke-like lump under my Macula (the centre of the retina). It's not severe, although I can just make out a small circle in the centre of my vision of my left eye. The optometrist said it's unlikely to account for the visual disturbances so I'm non the wiser. I have another appt on the 4th of Dec where they will check it again to see if it's changed in any way. The most significant disturbance was a picture of a grey rain cloud in my left eye with glittering rain in it. The mystery deepens.... 😀 Thanks for reading.... Steve
billadonna Member
I'm no doctor, but I am a migraine sufferer. Mine have always been the "classic migraine" except for one. Like you, I was watching TV. We always keep the captions on and suddenly they were blurred. Then near the edge of the field of vision of my left eye, I started seeing jagged gold lines--it looked just like the outline of Lisa Simpson's hair, of all things. It kind of shimmered and flexed. No pain whatsoever. I thought I had a detached retina and went to the emergency room where the doctor and later and ophthalmologist told me I had an ocular migraine. Sounds a lot like your situation. It's been several years and I've never had another one. Ocular, that is--plenty of classic migraines though.
macbeck Member
Hi Steve, most of my migraines are "silent" or have low pain levels (3-5). I have daily ocular migraines (I AM under the care of both a neurologist and ophthalmologist) in which I have double and triple vision. As the moderator said, it is very important to see a doctor who can look at your entire medical and family history and decide on your specific diagnosis. All the best to you!
kmaxwell2 Member
Hi Steve. You say you rarely experience headaches but I was wondering does this mean you do suffer from classic migraine? If yes, are you on any prescribed medication? I only ask because I have experienced similar things more than once over the years and sometimes medication side effects can cause hallucinations. However, there is also something called Alice In Wonderland Syndrome associated with migraine disease. I think my hallucinations (visual and tactile) have probably been caused by both Alice in Wonderland Syndrome and medication side effects. I hope yours weren’t too scary and you get some answers soon. Thanks Kerry.
noggin2018 Member
Hi Steve, the more I research headaches, migraines or other types, the more complex and unique each individual's symptoms appear. July 2018, I experienced massive headaches in a week. I never had headaches prior to this. Diagnosis: tension headache, possible occipital neuralgia. December 2018, I have been on Amitriptyline for several weeks. Five visual disturbances occur in one month. Explanation: Field of vision drastically narrows, extremetunnel vision, like being in a bubble. Balance is affected, Have to stand still and stop walking for fear of falling. Cognitive disturbance, was at the mall paying for an item, I could not understand what cashier was saying. All these episodes occurred during the day, when my headache pain was more, remember it's supposed to be a tension headache. All events occurred under bright fluorescence lighting. Research Alice in Wonderland syndrome. Visual disturbances are complex and so are the manifestation of these visual disturbances.

Community Poll

Do you feel comfortable advocating for yourself to your healthcare provider?