Welcome to question of the day #57

Welcome to question of the day #57

Will refractive correction stop migraines?

Some practitioners are of the opinion that migraine onset can be prevented by correcting refractive error. There are many different types of migraine. The cause of migraine is not clear but it is thought that migraines are the result of abnormal brain activity that temporarily alters nerve signals, chemicals and blood vessels in the brain.

Common triggers are:

Stress

High blood pressure

Dehydration

Low blood sugar

Excessive heat

Exercise

Bending over

Smoking

Certain types of contraceptives

There may also be a genetic link as people with a family history of migraines are more likely to suffer with migraine themselves.

Migraine usually involves a sharp stabbing pain in the side of the head, and sometimes a visual disturbance (aura) and sickness.

An ocular migraine happens when the blood flow to the eye becomes restricted due to a sudden narrowing of the blood vessels. Once the vessels relax, normal blood flow returns and symptoms clear. Usually this will have no lasting damage to the eye.

Some studies have found that people with migraine have higher degrees of astigmatism than those that do not have migraine. However, this does not mean that refractive error causes migraine just that, for some unknown reason, it correlates with migraine.

While lack of refractive error correction can cause eye ache and headache, I have seen no good evidence to suggest that not using refractive correction can cause a migraine. However, people who suffer with migraine may have uncorrected astigmatism so it would be worth having an eye examination for reasons of vision improvement rather than migraine resolution.

I know that there are tinted lenses available, the manufacturers of which state they can prevent migraine. I will discuss these in a future Question of the Day.