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Ocular Migraine

Also known as visual migraine, migraine aura, retinal migraine

A shimmering arc or zigzag that grows, drifts across your vision for 20 to 30 minutes, and then goes.

About 1 minute to read

Overview

Two different things share this name. Migraine with visual aura is by far the more common: a shimmering, zigzag or C-shaped arc that starts near the centre of vision, expands outwards over 20 to 30 minutes and then fades, usually followed by a headache. It comes from the visual cortex, so it is present in both eyes even though it feels like one.

Retinal migraine is rarer and genuinely one-eyed — repeated attacks of dimming or complete loss of vision in a single eye, lasting under an hour. Covering each eye in turn during an episode is the simple test that tells them apart, and it changes what happens next.

What are the common symptoms?

  • A shimmering or flickering arc that slowly expands
  • Zigzag lines with bright edges around a blank centre
  • Lasts 20 to 60 minutes and resolves completely
  • Often followed by a throbbing headache, nausea and light sensitivity
  • Temporary blank patch or greying in one eye (retinal type)

What causes it, and who is at risk?

A wave of altered electrical activity spreading across the visual cortex, followed by changes in blood flow. Retinal migraine involves the vessels supplying the eye itself.

Triggers vary but recur reliably per person: missed meals, poor sleep, dehydration, stress or the let-down after it, alcohol and red wine, aged cheese, hormonal changes, bright or flickering light, and screen glare.

How is it treated?

An attack itself needs little more than stopping what you are doing, resting somewhere dim, and not driving until vision is fully back. Keeping a trigger diary is the highest-value thing most people do.

Frequent attacks are managed with migraine preventives. Triptans and ergotamines are generally avoided in retinal migraine because of their vascular effects, so the distinction matters for prescribing. A first episode always deserves an eye exam to rule out retinal detachment and a vascular cause.

When to get seen quickly

Visual loss that persists beyond an hour, is always in the same eye, or comes with weakness, numbness or slurred speech, needs emergency assessment — those point to a stroke or a retinal artery problem rather than migraine.

This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Only an eye care professional who has examined you can tell you what is actually going on.

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Related conditions

Light Sensitivity Wincing at ordinary light can be a migraine trait, a dry surface, or inflammation inside the eye. Retinal Detachment The retina lifts away from the back of the eye — a genuine emergency where hours matter. Floaters and Flashes Drifting specks and cobwebs are usually harmless — a sudden increase in them is not. Dilated Pupils Expected for a few hours after dilating drops — worth investigating when one pupil enlarges on its own.
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