The symptoms and discomfort from migraines can go far beyond excruciating head pain. Many people who get headaches, especially those who get migraines, also experience vision problems, dizziness, and vertigo.
What Causes Migraines?
There are more than 20 million people in the U.S. who get migraines. Despite their common occurrence, experts still don’t know what causes some people to experience these often debilitating headaches. Scientists once thought migraine headaches resulted from the constriction of arteries in certain parts of the brain. Experts now believe that migraines may be caused by problems in the nervous system. The problems ultimately lead to swelling of blood vessels on the brain surface, which may lead to migraines.
Migraines and Vision Problems
Roughly 20 percent of migraine headaches are preceded by an aura. The aura often includes visual symptoms. Vision problems usually appear 20 minutes to one hour before the headache starts. They may include blind spots or the appearance of flashing lights, spots of light or wavy lines in the field of vision. Migraines without aura, the most common type of migraine, do not produce aura symptoms to warn of their onset. They can, though, still cause vision problems and dizziness.
Migraines, Vertigo, and Dizziness
Migraines are one of the leading causes of dizziness. More than 25% of the 20 million people in the United States who suffer from migraines experience this uncomfortable symptom. The dizziness caused by migraines may include feelings of lightheadedness or unsteadiness as well as true vertigo. Vertigo makes you feel as if the room is spinning.
Even though spinning sensations may appear to be vision problems, they’re actually related to your inner ear. In fact, some people who experience migraine-associated vertigo also experience other ear and hearing problems. That includes sound sensitivity and ringing in the ears. It can be difficult for a doctor to make a diagnosis of vertigo caused by migraine. That’s because people who have these headaches often have other conditions that may cause dizziness. This can include anxiety, depression, and positional low blood pressure.
Treatment for a Migraine’s Vision, Vertigo, and Dizziness Symptoms
The vision symptoms and dizziness caused by migraines are scary and troubling. However, they usually improve significantly or even disappear with medical treatment. There are a variety of options for addressing migraines and their related symptoms. They include lifestyle changes, medications, physical therapy, and complementary therapies.
Tags: aura, headache, migraine stages, migraine symptoms, migraine treatment, postdrome, prodrome
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