Many headaches are relatively easy to understand because everybody suffers from them occasionally. They can be caused by any number of things, from colds and flu to excessive exposure to the sun and a hangover after drinking too much alcohol. That is not to say headaches are trivial, but most of the time there is a clear cause, and that can be reassuring.
Migraines are more mysterious and people who suffer from them can be laid low for a day or longer. Even the name sounds complicated, although in fact the graine part only refers to the head and comes from the same origin as cranium, which means the skull.
Both headaches and migraines can affect our vision, and there are reasons for this, starting with the fact that they are based in the same part of the body. The eyes, brain and nervous system are closely linked in complex ways.
Fairly simple issues such as refractive errors (the angles at which light travels in the process of our brain forming an image of what we are looking at) and misaligned eyes can cause headaches because the brain is trying to compensate and correct them.
Symptoms you may Experience
In any part of the body, pain is a sign that something is wrong, and when eyes are not working properly the telltale symptom of blurring alerts us to the need to do something about it. Pain and fuzzy vision are often connected and should always be reported to a doctor, who will if necessary refer you to an optometrist.
With migraines the symptoms can be more complex, with visual disturbances either accompanied by pain or without pain. Again, though, you should always get your doctor to check you over and make any referral they feel is necessary.
Visual disturbances caused by migraines can involve a temporary loss in one part of the field of vision and it can grow and move before disappearing and everything goes back to normal. Clearly, though, what has just happened is not normal and anyone suffering this will naturally want at least an explanation, and preferably a cure.
Another type of visual disturbance is a kind of ring of flashing lights sometimes resembling prisms, which will also appear, grow, move and disappear again.
Determining the cause of a series of headaches or migraines (as opposed to an obvious one-off culprit such as a blow to the head) is a job for the medical profession, who may advise the sufferer to be aware of things such as diet and lifestyle, to see if the issue is caused by something as simple as what you eat or drink or activities you engage in.
Headaches and Migraines are not Necessarily a Great Cause for Concern
Because these periods of discomfort and/or strange occurrences are happening in the brain, they can seem alarming and the layperson can start to imagine all sorts of bad scenarios, but there could be a simple cause, and it is important to let your doctor and optometrist apply their diagnostic skills and experience to your case. Visual issues linked to headaches and migraines should be investigated promptly. Learn more at Microprism Vision