Visual disturbances...

[debster197]

I have had this happen about 4 times in the last week. In my left eye on the outside corner I see a v shape. The lines that make up this shape are usually a very crisp bright white. Sometimes they are colored. The lines themselves don't move around but yet they do. Its weird to explain. Almost like vibrate. I went to see my eye dr.today and he stated my eyes look good and that he thinks its neurological. Never followed by a headache. Anyone else experience this?

[lemstar]

Me! I have! I had a few before my MS was diagnosed, and went to an ophthalmologist, and he diagnosed me with optical migraines. I had no headache with this when it happened and it lasts generally about 20-30 minutes. Mine is a bit different--I get sparkly white/colored edges, in sort of a jagged pattern, in my peripheral line of vision. Sometimes the sparkly area is bigger and invades my vision more than others. Lately, I have had it with a headache. There is conflicting info about whether or not this is connected to MS--my feeling is that it is. If you google optical migraine, and find a picture of what it looks like during an optical migraine, it will confirm that that is what it is, if it is. It did for me; I said, yup, thats it.

[Redwings]

Hi debster:
What you've described about the vibrating lines sounds very much like the scintillating scotoma of an optical migraine. By definition, an optical migraine is called that because it's limited to optical effects and is painless. But the same visual phenomena can occur as part of the aura of a regular/classic migraine, which does include a headache.

The visual effects of an optical/ophthalmic migraine or migraine aura have been classified as visual hallucinations because they occur as a result of physical and chemical changes in the brain. That's why the eyes themselves aren't affected. I'm surprised your eye doctor just called it "neurological" without also identifying it as an ocular migraine.

There are some interesting video recreations of visual migraine auras on YouTube. A couple of them look a lot like what I "see" with my ocular migraines! Try googling "scintillating scotoma" and "ocular migraine" to see if the descriptions of the visual phenomena match what you're seeing. And then try looking for "migraine aura" on YouTube to see if one of the recreations is like what you've been seeing.

By the way, ocular migraines are surprisingly common. Doctors don't seem to be concerned about them and become concerned only if the visual aura starts to include a headache (making it a classic migraine) or other neurological symptom.

[sunshine008]

me 2! lol

i have lines, squigly lines, blurred vision..... alot of fun NOT. i asked my neuro and he said your wiring is all off in your brain due to the damage and the number of lesions and the inflammation. i said oh ok i feel better now lol.

he said if it gets bad and you can't hack it come in i'll give you a shot of steriods.

i just try to breath thru it i find the more nervous i become the worse it gets. and wherever i am when it happens i lean downward and try to get my nose to touch my knees or as close to it. i stay in that position for as long as i can and it helps the vision balance out quicker. i have no clue why

[WACVet]

I am not going to tell you this to frighten you, but I went through something very similar. The vision in my left eye went "wacky". Actually, it was 1/2 of the vision of the left eye, as if someone put a ruler right down the middle of the pupil. I closed my eyes, and what ever it was, was still there with my eyes closed.

I went to my Primary Doctor, at the time, and told her I thought I may have had a stroke, explained about what my eyesight did. She sent me to an eye Doctor, who decided I had an "occular migraine". Ok, so guess I was wrong!

I had to go to the VA to see a Neurologist to get a refill of my baclofen. It was the first time I had seen this Neurologist and he insisted on a MRI. Turns out, I had a TIA of the right MCA..... yep, a mini stroke, not an occular migraine!

Tell your Neurologist, best to be safe.