Retinal migraine

Hello. I am from the IBS site but also have suffered from migraine although not for some months now.

However I have recently started to experience a rather scary phenomenon. Gradual occlusion of vision in the right eye. It is as though a curtain gradually comes across the field of vision and, after a minute or two, clears slowly to restore perfect sight.

I also get shimmering light around familiar objects whilst this is going on.

Have been checked out for TIAs and the specialist mentioned retinal migraine. I don't know much about this but wonder if any of you have experienced it?

Many thanks and good luck to you all.

Easta: I too get migraines but only about every 6 months. I had a retinal migraine once, and the symptoms were exactly what you described. I went to my eye doctor b/c I thought something was wrong with my vision and he said "You have a migraine in your eye." ?? I said "How?" and he told me that you can actually get a migraine anywhere in your body where there are blood vessels. He told me mine may or may not progress to a headache stage after the eye stuff. It did and it turned out that the eye stuff was the "aura" that some migraine sufferers get. I never thought I was one of the aura people b/c I always got my migraines in the morning and woke up in full blown migraine. The doctors think now that I probably get the aura while I'm asleep. I've had a couple since then that came on during the day and I did experience the aura both times, although slightly differently each time. I didn't realize what was happening until the headache arrived. Unfortunately, by the time I get there I am unable to treat it - can't keep any meds down and the dissolving kind don't work for me, so I've had to go to the ER sometimes when I can't tough it out long enough.

I also have a family history of stroke, aneurysm, and TIA, so they keep a pretty close watch on my head with CTs periodically. You may want to have your doc do one if they haven't yet.