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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffMigraine aura symptoms include temporary visual or sensory disturbances that typically precede the usual migraine symptoms — such as intense head pain, nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine aura usually occurs within an hour before head pain begins and generally lasts less than 60 minutes before disappearing. Sometimes, migraine aura may occur with little or no headache.
Visual signs and symptoms
The majority of people who experience migraine aura develop visual signs and symptoms. These may include:
- Blind spots (scotomas), which are sometimes outlined by simple geometric designs
- Zigzag lines that gradually float across your field of vision
- Shimmering spots or stars
- Changes in vision
- Flashes of light
These types of visual disturbances tend to start in the center of your visual field and move outward, or spread.
Other sensory disturbances
Other temporary sensations sometimes associated with aura include:
- Feelings of numbness, typically felt as tingling in one hand or on your face
- Difficulty with speech or language
- Muscle weakness
When to see a doctor
If you experience the signs and symptoms of migraine with aura, such as temporary vision loss or floating spots or zigzag lines in your field of vision, see your doctor immediately to rule out more serious conditions, such as stroke or retinal tear. Once these conditions have been ruled out, future migraines with aura don't need to be considered a potential sign of a more serious condition and won't require a visit to your doctor, unless your symptoms change.
- Bajwa ZH, et al. Pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of migraine in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 6, 2011.
- Headache: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/headache/detail_headache.htm?css=print. Accessed Jan. 6, 2011.
- Pelak VS. Approach to the patient with visual hallucinations. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 6, 2011.
- Ramzan M, et al. Headache, migraine, and stroke. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 6, 2011.
- Bajwa ZH, et al. Acute treatment of migraine in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 6, 2011.
- Hauge AW, et al. Trigger factors in migraine with aura. Cephalalgia. 2010;30:346.
- Bajwa ZH, et al. Preventive treatment of migraine in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 6, 2011.
- FDA approves Botox to treat chronic migraine. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm229782.htm. Accessed Dec. 2, 2010.
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