Diseases & Conditions
When temporary vision loss in one eye isn't a sign of stroke
Retinal migraines can cause suspicious symptoms. Here's what to watch.
- Reviewed by Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
It's enough that migraines often involve awful symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and brain fog. But a slice of the 40 million Americans who cope with these recurring, throbbing headaches also experience something else: temporary blindness or other visual disturbances in just one eye.
Known as retinal migraines, these visual events arise gradually, last from 10 minutes to an hour, and arrive along with or shortly after the start of the headache itself, which can last for four hours to three days. An estimated one in 200 migraine sufferers also experiences the retinal version, which occurs three times as often in women as men. After each episode, eyesight returns to normal.
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About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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