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What Causes Eye Floaters While Treating Severe Headache And Nausea?
Question: Had TIA Stroke September 2014
I've had several occasions of flashing prism lights in my eyes; not always same eye. I can recall 3 or 4 episodes over last several months; just had one episode from 11:30am today, lights left at approx. 12:20 followed by head ache. Not to severe; is right frontal/mid area. Lights this time where bottom left corner of left eye, shapes are always triangular with connecting lines... sometimes pulse intensely and other times more of a flutter. All occasions, the area of lights also blocks vision in that area and is almost like the white blur one gets when looking at a bright light.
Once lights are gone I get a head ache and is usually opposite side of eye that had lights. Sometimes head aches are pretty bad and cause nausea.
I've had several occasions of flashing prism lights in my eyes; not always same eye. I can recall 3 or 4 episodes over last several months; just had one episode from 11:30am today, lights left at approx. 12:20 followed by head ache. Not to severe; is right frontal/mid area. Lights this time where bottom left corner of left eye, shapes are always triangular with connecting lines... sometimes pulse intensely and other times more of a flutter. All occasions, the area of lights also blocks vision in that area and is almost like the white blur one gets when looking at a bright light.
Once lights are gone I get a head ache and is usually opposite side of eye that had lights. Sometimes head aches are pretty bad and cause nausea.
Brief Answer:
Migraine with aura
Detailed Answer:
Your episodes of flashing lights in what APPEAR to be different eyes (what you're seeing actually originate and are localized to your brain NOT the eyes or the visual fields. At any rate, the phenomenon are called PHOSPHENES and these are very common for migraine headaches which can then, follow the lights by 5-60 min. Headaches can also be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms. The trick to treating these headaches is to correctly identify them by TYPE as well as by frequency and possible trigger. You didn't describe the TIA but sometimes people are misdiagnosed with TIA who are actually suffering from symptoms of migraine and so I suppose that's a possibility. TIA at age 41 is certainly possible but not a good thing. Hopefully, they did a workup on you to look for the cause.
As far as the headaches are concerned- as a headache specialist I can tell you that in my clinic and with my patients I have them fill out a diary to keep track of their episodes for about 30 days. We then, review the log with the different things I have them track such as PHOSPHENES, PHOTO, PHONO, AND OSMOPHOBIC situations, duration of headache and/or symptoms, severity of the episodes, and POSSIBLE TRIGGERS. Once they've completed their diaries and we've analyzed everything I recommend either medication, identify/eliminate triggers, or offer some other intervention depending on their lifestyle and what we believe the problem may be causing the headache in the first place.
You would be best advised to seek out either a neurologist or headache specialist who would be familiar with this sort of approach to treating headaches since it is the most precise way of determining what you've got and also whether you should have either abortive, prophylactic or both types of treatments or something different.
I hope this addresses your concerns and that you'll keep me in mind for future questions regarding these or other neurological/medical issues I may be able to help answer. Feel free to upload more specific information regarding lab tests and diagnostic studies if done and I'll be happy to look at them.
Otherwise, I'd appreciate your rating this interaction with a HIGH STAR SCORE and would be grateful for a few words of feedback. In addition, I'd appreciate your CLOSING THIS QUERY if you're satisfied with the responses.
Write to me any time at: bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional comments, concerns, or to provide status updates if you'd like.
This consult request has taken a total of 27 minutes of time to read, research, and respond.
Migraine with aura
Detailed Answer:
Your episodes of flashing lights in what APPEAR to be different eyes (what you're seeing actually originate and are localized to your brain NOT the eyes or the visual fields. At any rate, the phenomenon are called PHOSPHENES and these are very common for migraine headaches which can then, follow the lights by 5-60 min. Headaches can also be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms. The trick to treating these headaches is to correctly identify them by TYPE as well as by frequency and possible trigger. You didn't describe the TIA but sometimes people are misdiagnosed with TIA who are actually suffering from symptoms of migraine and so I suppose that's a possibility. TIA at age 41 is certainly possible but not a good thing. Hopefully, they did a workup on you to look for the cause.
As far as the headaches are concerned- as a headache specialist I can tell you that in my clinic and with my patients I have them fill out a diary to keep track of their episodes for about 30 days. We then, review the log with the different things I have them track such as PHOSPHENES, PHOTO, PHONO, AND OSMOPHOBIC situations, duration of headache and/or symptoms, severity of the episodes, and POSSIBLE TRIGGERS. Once they've completed their diaries and we've analyzed everything I recommend either medication, identify/eliminate triggers, or offer some other intervention depending on their lifestyle and what we believe the problem may be causing the headache in the first place.
You would be best advised to seek out either a neurologist or headache specialist who would be familiar with this sort of approach to treating headaches since it is the most precise way of determining what you've got and also whether you should have either abortive, prophylactic or both types of treatments or something different.
I hope this addresses your concerns and that you'll keep me in mind for future questions regarding these or other neurological/medical issues I may be able to help answer. Feel free to upload more specific information regarding lab tests and diagnostic studies if done and I'll be happy to look at them.
Otherwise, I'd appreciate your rating this interaction with a HIGH STAR SCORE and would be grateful for a few words of feedback. In addition, I'd appreciate your CLOSING THIS QUERY if you're satisfied with the responses.
Write to me any time at: bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional comments, concerns, or to provide status updates if you'd like.
This consult request has taken a total of 27 minutes of time to read, research, and respond.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you so much for the feed back... I will start a diary of the events with poss. triggers, time... headaches etc.
I'm not sure what the ER did when diagnosing the TIA... Ill need to get with them I suppose. Is there a DR. in the DFW that you would recommend?
I am very grateful for your response and helping me understand this better. Ill await your final response to the above and then close out this case with the highest rating poss.
Thanks again XXXXXXX Michaelson
817.908.5208
I'm not sure what the ER did when diagnosing the TIA... Ill need to get with them I suppose. Is there a DR. in the DFW that you would recommend?
I am very grateful for your response and helping me understand this better. Ill await your final response to the above and then close out this case with the highest rating poss.
Thanks again XXXXXXX Michaelson
817.908.5208
Brief Answer:
Your local hospital or XXXXXXX Headache Society can help
Detailed Answer:
I do not have anybody directly that I can think of immediately who is someone I consider diligent and interested in headaches as I've described in the DFW area of the country. However, I've no doubt there are....as there must be in every major metropolitan area. The trick is knowing WHERE to look for them such as in academic medical centers or large community specialty clinics of either neurologists or headache specialists.
You could either try calling your local hospital and asking their Medical Staff Offices if they could give some names to you of neurologists or people who have listed themselves as interested in treating headaches. I wouldn't necessarily consider "pain" specialists since their specialization really is not treating headaches per se rather they tend to deal with chronic bodily pain such as neck, shoulder, back, and lower extremity types of scenarios. I think another very focused and approachable resource would be to contact the XXXXXXX Headache Society (AHS) whose number can be easily googled and asking them for reputable headache specialists in your geographic area.
I think it's a great idea to get the specifics of how the ER determined that you had suffered a TIA as opposed to anything else such as migraine aura only because it just so happens that migraine headaches and strokes share a common thread in that aura and headaches can sometimes look very stroke like and vice versa. In addition, people who have suffered TIA's generally, don't suffer headaches as a consequence to their event whereas people who suffer from embolic stroke suffer migraine headache episodes which turn out to be isolated and often times coming on for the first time in as high as 20% of cases.
Lots of luck in finding someone. If you are successful in locating a good person to work with who is either a straight neurologist or possibly headache specialist let me know and I'll add them to my Rolodex of potential referral contacts for my edification and future reference for the next person who comes from down in your neck of the woods.
If you're ever inclined to visit the XXXXXXX area or need to translocate for work or pleasure then, of course, you can always drop in to visit Parma Neurology. For our out of state and international patients we even open the office on holidays and weekends...Especially for anybody who comes from a city with the most famous football cheer leading squad in the world! LOL...
Thank you for your rating this interaction with a HIGH STAR SCORE and please let me know how I can help you in the future by staying in touch with me at:
bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi
This consult request has taken a total of 48 minutes of time to read, research, and respond.
Your local hospital or XXXXXXX Headache Society can help
Detailed Answer:
I do not have anybody directly that I can think of immediately who is someone I consider diligent and interested in headaches as I've described in the DFW area of the country. However, I've no doubt there are....as there must be in every major metropolitan area. The trick is knowing WHERE to look for them such as in academic medical centers or large community specialty clinics of either neurologists or headache specialists.
You could either try calling your local hospital and asking their Medical Staff Offices if they could give some names to you of neurologists or people who have listed themselves as interested in treating headaches. I wouldn't necessarily consider "pain" specialists since their specialization really is not treating headaches per se rather they tend to deal with chronic bodily pain such as neck, shoulder, back, and lower extremity types of scenarios. I think another very focused and approachable resource would be to contact the XXXXXXX Headache Society (AHS) whose number can be easily googled and asking them for reputable headache specialists in your geographic area.
I think it's a great idea to get the specifics of how the ER determined that you had suffered a TIA as opposed to anything else such as migraine aura only because it just so happens that migraine headaches and strokes share a common thread in that aura and headaches can sometimes look very stroke like and vice versa. In addition, people who have suffered TIA's generally, don't suffer headaches as a consequence to their event whereas people who suffer from embolic stroke suffer migraine headache episodes which turn out to be isolated and often times coming on for the first time in as high as 20% of cases.
Lots of luck in finding someone. If you are successful in locating a good person to work with who is either a straight neurologist or possibly headache specialist let me know and I'll add them to my Rolodex of potential referral contacts for my edification and future reference for the next person who comes from down in your neck of the woods.
If you're ever inclined to visit the XXXXXXX area or need to translocate for work or pleasure then, of course, you can always drop in to visit Parma Neurology. For our out of state and international patients we even open the office on holidays and weekends...Especially for anybody who comes from a city with the most famous football cheer leading squad in the world! LOL...
Thank you for your rating this interaction with a HIGH STAR SCORE and please let me know how I can help you in the future by staying in touch with me at:
bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi
This consult request has taken a total of 48 minutes of time to read, research, and respond.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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