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Aura but no migraine?

I'm a 17 year old female, and i've had headaches before but never really started paying attention to them until a few years ago. I did some reading about the different types of headaches and migraines that there are, and I realized that some of my headaches didn't really fit in a catagory. So here I am hoping to get some ideas.

Recently, my headaches occur on the left side of my head (or on left eyebrow area) and are accompanied by stabbing pains in my left eye.

Sometimes I see flashing lights in different shapes, sizes, and colours (like the after effects of a camera flash). These can last for about 30 mins (sometimes a few minutes). I used to get these more often (about a few times each month). They died down last year, but now they're starting to come back again. From reading about migraines, I guess it would be aura. However, sometimes they don't come before, after, or during a headache. When the flashing light occurs, I have trouble reading or writing since it becomes hard to judge distance. I did go see a doctor at my university in september. She doesn't think my headaches are migraines because they're not bad/strong enough (nor do I feel nauseated when i have a headache...although there have been times where I'd feel nauseated for no apparent reason). She made an appointment for me to go to see an ophthalmologist, but I couldn't make it to the appointment because I had an exam.

I also don't think that the headaches and flashing lights can be stress induced because I've been through stressful times without any of those happening. They seem to occur suddenly and randomly.

What can I do to get rid of the flashing lights (they're making it quite difficult to study and pay attention in lecture)? And should I be concerned about the headache that is accompanied by the stabbing eye pain?

Answers:


These are typical symptoms of migraine aura, but there are also other possible causes. I really recommend that you see the ophthalmologist soon, because while most of your symptoms do fit migraine, there are also some serious eye diseases such as retinal detachment which may cause flashing.

If the ophthalmologist finds nothing wrong, I recommend getting a second opinion with a neurologistThanks for your reply =)

If the ophthalmologist finds nothing wrong, and if i go to a neurologist, what would the neurologist suggest and/or do?I have an appointment to see the opthamologist at the end of February. But my exams begin at the beginning of February, so i'm worried about the flashing lights happening in the middle of an exam. That would not be good.

I'm wondering if there's something to prevent them from happening, or stop them when they do occur?Hi mta41,

Let me start by saying I am not a doctor, nurse or emt. I have a long history of migraines and have in fact experienced every kind of migraine and headache possible.

Let me ask you a very important question first. Are you on birth control pills? or have you recently changed them? or any other type of medication.

Birth control pills do have a long history of causing headaches, migraines, migraines with and without aura.

I used to get headaches every single day and migraines 2xs a month that would last 1-2 weeks. I went off the pill and they got better. I went back on the pill ( a different kind) and all of sudden I am getting the migraine aura without the migraine (which 2 doctors first thought was a stroke) Talk about freaking me out. Thankfully a neurologist figured it out. Long story short I can't take any form of birth control pills, rings, shots etc. My headaches are gone.

I would start there.

Good luck!thanks for replying =)

No, I'm not on birth control pills or any other form of medication.

I went to my family doctor again today and he said that I'm too young to be having migraines. He also checked my retina and said there's nothing wrong there. So nothing has been resolved.

Neither Advil nor Tylenol works whether it's a headache with or without the aura. *sigh*