Are Ocular Migraines (scintillating scotoma) really seizures?

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In the past week I've had 2 experiences that I'm told are scintillating scotoma or ocular migraines.. I was diagnosed over the phone by my opthamologists nurse (which really makes me crazy!!) Havent spoken to my Neurologist yet as it was the weekend.. I got finished exercising started to feel a little funny, looked down and there was a partial blind spot,darkness where there should have been my dog.. I looked to the left side and started to see a squiggly line moving up and down..this scared the heck out of me.. I went clear across my house to go sit down (go figure?) all the time the lines kept moving.. Sat down.. I closed my eyes,continued to see the squiggles it petrified me but I was also determined to get to my computer to look this nightmare up.. got up & was incredibly dizzy and dont remember walking to my computer. this lasted maybe 5 minutes more & probably in total 10-15 minutes (i think?) then went away with a slight headache starting on the opposite side.

The 2nd time was a little different and shorter. I left my house to go get my prescription, it was really sunny out & I didnt have sun glasses on right away.. ( i'm thinking photo sensitivity trigger) got to the drug store,went inside took my sunglasses off and started having that same experience with blind spots but this time on the right side.. my pharmacist,thank goodness, is a Dr and told me this is happening from Keppra xr and if it got unmanagable to change meds! My seizures are finally under control with the Keppra XR for the last month and now this... I cant imagine changing meds again!! After this happened the 2nd time I just went on with my errands for another 10 minutes and then home.. Was I really having a simple partial seizure? For sure my judgement was off both times .. Anybody have a similar experience or have any knowledge of this?

I do plan on calling my Dr in the morning.. MRI anyone? (:

Sash07

Comments

Having one right now. I am

Submitted by Jim74 on Sat, 2018-01-13 - 17:13

Having one right now. I am 74 and have only had the experience 3 times. Last time maybe 10 years ago. I have the rainbow geometric fortress type expanding from a central point. It started about 10-15 minutes ago and has nearly resolved. I feel a bit light headed, but nothing troubling. I felt very sleepy before it started as I was working my way through "Fire and Fury" and was losing concentration. No headache following this time so far or in past. Have only had one true migraine in my life and it was not concurrent with any scintillating scotoma. Jim

Thank you for "rainbow

Submitted by RSG on Fri, 2018-02-09 - 21:37

Thank you for "rainbow geometric fortress" — a great description of a scintillating scotoma. I've always found it so hard to describe.

Hi all. I would like to pass

Submitted by wanderer55 on Sun, 2018-04-15 - 01:13

Hi all. I would like to pass on what has happened to me with Ocular Migraines (scintillating scotoma). The first one was in 2004 age 48. I was in a control room at a car rally and it was my first time ever in front of a flat screen computer monitor. I had been operating the computer for nearly 2 hours and I started having a weird effect with my right eye. I described it to others in the room, and various suggestions came forward, mainly about blood sugar levels. There were 2 ambulance officers in the next room and one came and interviewed me. She took my sugar level and it was 19.2. (I had eaten 14 Minties and several free sandwiches). She could not believe the sugar level and thought she had done something wrong, so she checked it again and hour later and it was 17.4. I was advised to see a doctor and I was then told I had type 2 diabetes, but the doctor could not understand what the optical thing was about.I can describe the effect as: I start to have confused vision first, as in my right eye sees darkness, but I can see thru it. After 1 - 2 minutes, I become aware of what I call a "fleckling football". They are ALWAYS oval shaped, like a football, and ALWAYS start in the centre of my RIGHT eye.The "fleckling" or scintillating is rapidly moving short straight iridescent coloured lines around the edge of the "football" which gradually expands. The coloured lines even change colour while I am looking at them, even before they move, or "fleckle". The whole episode lasted about 20 minutes. I had a significant, but not severe headache afterwards, for which I took 2 paracetamol which fixed the headache.The next one was a year later (2005, age 49) after I had looked at some white PVC pipe that some workers were laying in a trench. It was in very bright sunlight, and I didn't have sunglasses with me. Same symptoms and duration as before. I had another one 3 weeks later, but I don't think there was any bright light to trigger it off. Next was in 2010, age 55, cannot remember what triggered it, if anything. Same as before.Next was 2011 or 2012, same as before.2017 I had 4 episodes. Same symptoms. One was from a sun flash off the windscreen of a car. Fortunately I was on a bus. Had no paracetamol with me, only water, so I just drank water and kept my eyes closed. This particular episode had lower severity of symptoms than all previous episodes.I had one this year, 2018. My wife and I had been out Sunday driving and were returning home in heavy Sunday afternoon traffic. I almost ran into the back of a car. Then I realised that my right eye vision was going black. I told my wife I was having an optical migraine, and at the next red traffic light, my wife and I rapidly swapped driving duties. I got 2 paracetamol into me as soon as I could. This episode was severe, and I am still wondering if it had affected both eyes. I cannot say yes or no.So I can say that bright light has only triggered them off in half the cases. I have no idea what triggered the other half of the episodes.I had an experience in 2011 where I was driving and got a 2 second "full on" sun flash from a turning vehicle and I was not able to look away as I still had to steer my car and avoid this other car. I DID NOT have a scintillating scotoma from it, even though the sunflash was more severe than any I had ever experienced. If light is the only trigger, then I should have had an episode, but didn't. I had to park the car and keep my eyes closed for at least 2 minutes before I could safely drive again.I hope this helps others. When the first few episodes happened, I was very concerned about permanent eye damage, but after 14 in 14 years, I no longer worry; I just get the paracetamol and water, have a lie down and "enjoy" the "fleckling football".Graeme Wilson

Hi all. I would like to pass on what has happened to me with Ocular Migraines (scintillating scotoma). The first one was in 2004 age 48. I was in a control room at a car rally and it was my first time ever in front of a flat screen computer monitor. I had been operating the computer for nearly 2 hours and I started having a weird effect with my right eye. I described it to others in the room, and various suggestions came forward, mainly about blood sugar levels. There were 2 ambulance officers in the next room and one came and interviewed me. She took my sugar level and it was 19.2. (I had eaten 14 Minties and several free sandwiches). She could not believe the sugar level and thought she had done something wrong, so she checked it again and hour later and it was 17.4. I was advised to see a doctor and I was then told I had type 2 diabetes, but the doctor could not understand what the optical thing was about.I can describe the effect as:  I start to have confused vision first, as in my right eye sees darkness, but I can see thru it. After 1 - 2 minutes, I become aware of what I call a "fleckling football". They are ALWAYS oval shaped, like a football, and ALWAYS start in the centre of my RIGHT eye.The "fleckling" or scintillating is rapidly moving short straight iridescent coloured lines around the edge of the "football" which gradually expands. The coloured lines even change colour while I am looking at them, even before they move, or "fleckle". The whole episode lasted about 20 minutes. I had a significant, but not severe headache afterwards, for which I took 2 paracetamol which fixed the headache.The next one was a year later (2005, age 49) after I had looked at some white PVC pipe that some workers were laying in a trench. It was in very bright sunlight, and I didn't have sunglasses with me. Same symptoms and duration as before. I had another one 3 weeks later, but I don't think there was any bright light to trigger it off. Next was in 2010, age 55, cannot remember what triggered it, if anything. Same as before.Next was 2011 or 2012, same as before.2017 I had 4 episodes. Same symptoms. One was from a sun flash off the windscreen of a car. Fortunately I was on a bus. Had no paracetamol with me, only water, so I just drank water and kept my eyes closed. This particular episode had lower severity of symptoms than all previous episodes.I had one this year, 2018. My wife and I had been out Sunday driving and were returning home in heavy Sunday afternoon traffic. I almost ran into the back of a car. Then I realised that my right eye vision was going black. I told my wife I was having an optical migraine, and at the next red traffic light, my wife and I rapidly swapped driving duties. I got 2 paracetamol into me as soon as I could. This episode was severe, and I am still wondering if it had affected both eyes. I cannot say yes or no.So I can say that bright light has only triggered them off in half the cases. I have no idea what triggered the other half of the episodes.I had an experience in 2011 where I was driving and got a 2 second "full on" sun flash from a turning vehicle and I was not able to look away as I still had to steer my car and avoid this other car. I DID NOT have a scintillating scotoma from it, even though the sunflash was more severe than any I had ever experienced. If light is the only trigger, then I should have had an episode, but didn't. I had to park the car and keep my eyes closed for at least 2 minutes before I could safely drive again.I hope this helps others. When the first few episodes happened, I was very concerned about permanent eye damage, but after 14 in 14 years, I no longer worry; I just get the paracetamol and water, have a lie down and "enjoy" the "fleckling football".Graeme Wilson

Hi all. I would like to pass on what has happened to me with Ocular Migraines (scintillating scotoma). The first one was in 2004 age 48. I was in a control room at a car rally and it was my first time ever in front of a flat screen computer monitor. I had been operating the computer for nearly 2 hours and I started having a weird effect with my right eye. I described it to others in the room, and various suggestions came forward, mainly about blood sugar levels. There were 2 ambulance officers in the next room and one came and interviewed me. She took my sugar level and it was 19.2. (I had eaten 14 Minties and several free sandwiches). She could not believe the sugar level and thought she had done something wrong, so she checked it again and hour later and it was 17.4. I was advised to see a doctor and I was then told I had type 2 diabetes, but the doctor could not understand what the optical thing was about.I can describe the effect as: I start to have confused vision first, as in my right eye sees darkness, but I can see thru it. After 1 - 2 minutes, I become aware of what I call a "fleckling football". They are ALWAYS oval shaped, like a football, and ALWAYS start in the centre of my RIGHT eye.The "fleckling" or scintillating is rapidly moving short straight iridescent coloured lines around the edge of the "football" which gradually expands. The coloured lines even change colour while I am looking at them, even before they move, or "fleckle". The whole episode lasted about 20 minutes. I had a significant, but not severe headache afterwards, for which I took 2 paracetamol which fixed the headache.The next one was a year later (2005, age 49) after I had looked at some white PVC pipe that some workers were laying in a trench. It was in very bright sunlight, and I didn't have sunglasses with me. Same symptoms and duration as before. I had another one 3 weeks later, but I don't think there was any bright light to trigger it off. Next was in 2010, age 55, cannot remember what triggered it, if anything. Same as before.Next was 2011 or 2012, same as before.2017 I had 4 episodes. Same symptoms. One was from a sun flash off the windscreen of a car. Fortunately I was on a bus. Had no paracetamol with me, only water, so I just drank water and kept my eyes closed. This particular episode had lower severity of symptoms than all previous episodes.I had one this year, 2018. My wife and I had been out Sunday driving and were returning home in heavy Sunday afternoon traffic. I almost ran into the back of a car. Then I realised that my right eye vision was going black. I told my wife I was having an optical migraine, and at the next red traffic light, my wife and I rapidly swapped driving duties. I got 2 paracetamol into me as soon as I could. This episode was severe, and I am still wondering if it had affected both eyes. I cannot say yes or no.So I can say that bright light has only triggered them off in half the cases. I have no idea what triggered the other half of the episodes.I had an experience in 2011 where I was driving and got a 2 second "full on" sun flash from a turning vehicle and I was not able to look away as I still had to steer my car and avoid this other car. I DID NOT have a scintillating scotoma from it, even though the sunflash was more severe than any I had ever experienced. If light is the only trigger, then I should have had an episode, but didn't. I had to park the car and keep my eyes closed for at least 2 minutes before I could safely drive again.I hope this helps others. When the first few episodes happened, I was very concerned about permanent eye damage, but after 14 in 14 years, I no longer worry; I just get the paracetamol and water, have a lie down and "enjoy" the "fleckling football".Graeme Wilson