I started getting visual migraines about 10 years ago when a car coming down a hill near me was reflecting the bright fall sunlight off its windshield at me. My migraine took the shape of an oval made up of dashes, stars and triangles blinking off and on, and as it expanded across my visual space new bits were added to the boundary line. Inside the boundary line everything was blurry, and I could not read my book. This lasted about a half hour.
Since then I have had other manifestations of the phenomenon – usually a squarish “C” shape instead of that nice, mathematically precise oval. At times I’ve been able to stop the attack in the very earliest stages if I lean my head back and close my eyes for about 5 minutes.
People don’t understand what I’m talking about when I try to explain it – though my eye doctor did and told me they were visual migraines – so I’m glad for this illustration. It does not show my particular manifestation, but has the concept right.
Now you too might know what your problem is, and be able to stop worrying about detached retinas, brain tumors, optic nerve tumors, or other nasties.
dude, i had exactly the same thing once when I sat in the library but i didn’t know what it was… i thought i was going blind.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! Your description and the link illustrates very closely what I have experienced a few times in the last year or so. Totally out of context, no whack in the head, no head ache, no other migraine symptoms. I was looking at my email on a Sunday morning and the lights started flashing. Rather entertaining now that I have the background. Bad news if I had been driving!