Ocular Migraine without Headache

Proper diagnosis of ocular migraine without headache is very important to get the treatment that's most likely to work.  The problem is, the term "ocular migraine" is not standard - meaning that different doctors may mean different things by the same diagnosis.

So in order to get you the treatment you need, we first need to define exactly what an ocular migraine without headache actually is.

What Ocular Migraine may mean

Most often, the diagnosis of ocular migraine seems to refer to what we now call retinal migraine.  Though you should certainly see your doctor if you're experiencing symptoms that are new to you, you can get a pretty good idea if you have retinal migraine by reading 5 Signs You have Retinal Migraine.

Now retinal migraine usually includes a headache phase.  In fact, you probably won't be diagnosed with retinal migraine if you don't have headache.  So that brings us to the second likely diagnosis.

Ocular Migraine without Headache most likely refers to what we now call migraine aura without headache.  The type of aura you're likely experiencing is some kind of visual aura.  This old article uses the old term ocular migraine without headache to describe visual aura.

There are many kinds of visual aura that migraineurs experience.  The aura is generally temporary (if not, you'll probably need a different type of treatment), lasting only a few minutes.

Many migraine patients do get a headache after the aura - but not always.  Some patients will get aura without headache sometimes, and others will always have some kind of visual aura but never a headache.

Visual Aura and its Treatment

If this is what you're experiencing, your ocular migraine without headache is most likely migraine aura without headache.  Though this type of aura isn't always visual, the term ocular of course usually indicates a visual aura.

Here are some of the types of visual aura that migraine patients have reported:  Aura Eye Symptoms – Have You Seen THIS?!

Aura symptoms are often fairly mild - a few flashing lights in the corner of your eye.  Many patients just ignore them and are able to get along fine without any treatment.

At other times, the aura can be very disabling - double vision, even blindness.

Either way, if the symptoms are new you need to see your doctor right away.  A number of things can cause these visual auras - don't just assume it's migraine.

If it is migraine, treatment will be based on your medical history and how disabling the symptoms are for you.  Generally, treatments will be the same as for any type of migraine.  Read more about how to treat a migraine.

But first things first - it's very important to get a proper diagnosis.  If possible, see a migraine specialist as early as you can.  The better the diagnosis, the better change you'll get a proper treatment.