# Scintillating scotoma



## qubit (Sep 10, 2011)

I get this. It used to be a whole lot when I was a little kid, but now it's quite rare. However, I do suffer a _lot_ of tension/migraine headaches. I get them every few days and sometimes every day for a whole week or more.  The doctors can't help, of course. 







Mine tends to look like the one in the picture as far as overall shape, but not the colours and pattern. It's actually in black and white and the pattern can run in a way similar to those rotating barber's signs like the one below, but in a shape more similar to the one in the above picture. It will also progress around my field of vision. It can and has forced me to pull over to the side while driving, but it was only once or twice.






Here's the Wikipedia article on it. Does anyone else here get this? Please don't feel under pressure to publically share something personal like this.


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## Suhidu (Sep 10, 2011)

I don't get headaches often, but a few times in my life I've gotten odd visual patterns that were distracting from anything I'd try to focus on (and also were kind of dizzying/nauseating to experience). Like a static-overlay on my vision(think bad analog tv signal) starting from the corner of my eye. It's hard to describe. I haven't had this happen for at least 1.5 years I think, and before that it was probably a couple of years as well. Not a frequent thing for me.

When trying to describe the pattern of it, it's hard because it isn't a clearly defined pattern that I can focus on. It's not a static(i.e., unmoving) object in my vision, it's just generally shapeless and yet obscuring other things ..like analog static. Sound at all similar?


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## qubit (Sep 10, 2011)

Suhidu said:


> I don't get headaches often, but a few times in my life I've gotten odd visual patterns that were distracting from anything I'd try to focus on (and also were kind of nauseating to experience). Like a static-overlay on my vision(think bad analog tv signal) starting from the corner of my eye. It's hard to describe. I haven't had this happen for at least 1.5 years I think, and before that it was probably a couple of years as well. Not a frequent thing for me.
> 
> *When trying to describe the pattern of it, it's hard because it isn't a clearly defined pattern that I can focus on. It's not a static(i.e., unmoving) object in my vision, it's just generally shapeless and yet obscuring other things ..like analog static. Sound at all similar?*



Sounds very similar. And yes, I think I sometimes had the nauseating feeling too, hard to remember now. The whole thing is generally vague and hard to pin down and very distracting. I can see it whether I'm in bright daylight or pitch black, so there's no getting away from it. Lying down in the dark and waiting for it to pass, if possible, is the best remedy for me.

So, it's a malfunction of the brain. Sounds scary.


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## Suhidu (Sep 10, 2011)

Yeah, exactly, it's not affected by other things I'm seeing or the lighting. It doesn't matter what I turn to look at, it stays intense until it goes away. Lying down for it to pass seems sensible, as that should help with feeling sick. With my eyes shut, it's like sparks going off in my field of vision ...sort of.


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## twilyth (Sep 12, 2011)

Qubit:  You probably know this but in case you don't, there is a whole class of drugs devoted to treating migraines - the triptans.  There are also older ergot based medications.  A summary of the various treatments available is here.

I used to get horrible migraines combined with nausea (rarely) and light sensitivity (frequently).  Apparently these are considered "auras".  I guess they must use that term in the sense of meaning penumbral to the migraine.  IDK.

I found that two tablets of ketoprofen (Orudis KT in the US) worked pretty well in terms of at least blunting the pain but opioids made the pain worse.

I still can get a headache if I haven't eaten for a long time and I'm stressed.  But they seem to have gotten much less frequent as I've gotten older.


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## qubit (Sep 12, 2011)

Thanks for the info, T. I didn't know about that stuff. I'll check it out and discuss it with my doctor.


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## Black Panther (Sep 21, 2011)

Thanks for posting this Qubit. I have this, but never knew what it was. In fact I didn't describe it very well either - it's like some of the transparent stuff in my eyes becomes electrified and sparkling, though it remains transparent it 'warps' what I'd be trying to see.

Sometimes I get the symptoms twice in 2 weeks and I panic and think of going to a doc. But then 2 months or more pass by, and I forget about it... until it happens again. 

Mine looks a lot like this, only the spot is starts as a "C" shape and very much near to the focus of my eyes resulting that I can't see what I'm trying to look at (rather than seeing the blur from the side of my vision). Also, the "C" isn't grey but kind of opaque white and it sparkles and trembles all over:










Oh and I don't get any headache whatsoever..

After it gets to "C" shape, it fills my entire vision like this one:

[yt]j1JZly2r_1M&NR=1[/yt]4

Such an 'experience' usually takes like 2 - 3 hours.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Sep 21, 2011)

while i dont suffer from this,  i do suffer from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyopia

I was born premature so my brain shut down 1 eye, eventually my brain adapted and while i can only focus with 1 eye the other fills in my peripheral vision so its not entirely useless but does mean i suffer from a lack of depth perception, various issues with focus, and among other things. Eye problems seem to affect a very large number of people some less extensively then others. But whats really interesting is i can switch focus from 1 eye to the other causing whatever eyes im not using to become the lazy eye, I eventually had corrective surgery on the muscles around my eyes to limit this behavior. That said its a pretty irritating issue all the same. 

But otherwise i pretty much have the typical lazy eye, along with having to keep track of any issues such as if i start to see a smoky like film over my eye thats the gel coating that cleans your eyes surface clumping together i have to keep track of how it affects my vision as it can lead to further issues that might result in blindness.  At this point personally I will end up blind later in life, doctors cant tell me when it will happen just that it will. Kinda sucks but whatever.  Gonna keep building PCs and kicking ass in games till the day it happens. and when it does ill just get implants that let me so so fuck it


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## qubit (Sep 21, 2011)

Thanks very much for sharing that with us, crazy. 

I hope that technology develops so that your eyesight can be saved. I guess eating healthy foods can't hurt and avoiding smoking, too much drinking and getting exercise all help one way or another. Mind you, I'm not too good at the exercise bit myself.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Sep 22, 2011)

meh i eat alot of food, im like Kobayashi but i dont get paid to do it. i work outside so i do get paid to exercise to an extent, but yea.  dosent matter it will happen no matter what, but i figure i got till im in my 40s or more so another 20 years i bet theyll have someway to fix it. if not I guess ill sign up for military testing lol


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