Zigzags in front of eyes

I've had them for years. Didn't worry as I googled it and they said that's an ocular migrane. Also I have regular eye tests and CT and MRI for unrelated matters. Never occurred to me to actually mention it at the opticians.

Glad you are reassured CR39, but do mention it to your optician or GP just to be on the safe side. You will be able to describe your zigzags better and they will confirm.

It is one of those fairly common things that we don't know about until it happens to us!

I am new to this forum. I was looking for crescent shape zigzag flashes in the eyes and noticed this post. It’s comforting to know that the opinion of most seems to be that is is not necessary serious. It happens to me when I read small print and often when on computer. Usually only last 15 minutes or so. Many thanks.

I get these as a migraine aura. I used to have them regularly at work, caused by fluorescent lights and stress, but rarely have them now. Pre menopause they developed into a headache but rarely do now. They have sometimes made me think there's a fire and I've been known to tell both colleagues and children that the office/house is on fire.

I get these occasionally but fortunately it doesn't usually go into a full blown migraine. Mine began when I was a camera operator - I thought it was the Control Room or my camera playing tricks!! They are a real nuisance if they come when I'm reading. For me it seems to arise from concentrating hard - perhaps there's a moral there!!!!

Grandma2213 I agree the optician's advice to "enjoy the pretty lights" was not very helpful but think she was trying to reassure me - it was the first time I had experienced them (I was in my late 50s) and had already seen a doctor who sent me to the optician. Now I'm in my 70s and have them every six weeks or so I certainly don't enjoy them as I know they'll lead to headaches and nausea for several days afterwards. I've learned over the years that tiredness and bright lights trigger them, so always wear sunglasses on bright days and avoid flashing lights. I've been prescribed Paramax which is paracetamol and an anti nausea medication.

really not rally! (visual problems!)

I have had migraines since I was 18 with loss of half of my vision and feeling in half of my body. This was followed by a severe headache which left me bed ridden for up to two days and a week of pain afterwards. I had a break for a couple of years in my 50s and then started to suffer from the zig zag lights, loss of vision, numbness of half of my body and then a relatively minor headache for a few hours. I also started to suffer from loss of ability to speak or remember words. People around me thought I was suffering a stroke. A new symptom has been a temporary inability to recognise faces (especially on TV) even though I know the voices and characters.

In the last few years I have also suffered macular degeneration and needed a macular repair and vitrectomy which has meant I have to shut one eye to see if it is rally a migraine and not just a result of my visual problem!

Suki70 I am horrified by the advice just "enjoy the pretty lights"! This is always frightening no matter how many times it is experienced. My GP recently said that I am of an age (70) that some of the symptoms could now indicate a stroke! This hardly helps with the stress that often leads to a migraine.

Check your symptoms out with your doctor though because they are the experts, not us.

I get this quite often, zig zagged arcs in right eye always followed by severe headache over left eye. With painkillers straight away this never develops into full blown migraine. On one occasion zig zags and headache very different and lasting, rang optician who told me to go directly to eye hospital. They diagnosed vitreous detachment which generally happens slowly as we age but had happened quickly hence the problem. No need for any treatment.

Yes I have had these, also told ocular migraine. Have had chunks missing in vision, also looks like coving on ceiling is whizzing round! Not nice!

I had one of these aural migraines last evening. It started on the way back from DD's. Fortunately I wasn't driving. DH gets them a lot and so I did what he does and lay down in a darkened room until it went away. I have only had one other and that was last year.

This is probably migraine but best to get it checked out. My first episode of this was when I was 15 revising for 'O' levels. I had the zig zag lines followed by loss of vision on the right side. I screamed as I thought I was going blind! I get migraines with stress, usually after stress as a relief reaction and bright lights, ...flash of sun off car bonnets etc. Oh and red wine . I have two visual auras. With the zig zag lines it will be a headache migraine and if it is a pinprick black hole it will be a stomach one. I fell quite an expert having suffered for over 5O years! Good luck to you Ellie Anne. Hope this is a one off.

Yes I have had these episodes. I find a drink of something sugary and resting helps them go away quickly. Definitely related to stress, had one attack the day the VAT inspector visited our shop. Also bright lights. My mother had them.

You must have been so scared Ellie; I know I was the first time it happened to me [it was nightime and I ran outside hoping to get away from it, but it was still there]. The second time it happened I didn't panic as much, just waited for the 20 or so minutes that it took for it to go away. Touch wood, hasn't happened since. A friend of mine has something similar that is stress related.I agree that you need to see someone about it but I really wouldn't worry; but it is so frightening the first time it happens. I remember thinking that I'd never be able to read or drive a car ever again!

My son gets this quite frequently,he was worried it was caused by a mini strke he had,
The Dr said it was occular migraine, no headache
He is very stressed at the moment ,so i think that can bring it on
Nothing to worry about apparently

I have been getting the Zig zags for about 35 yrs I find that if I take 0ne paracetamol it goes almost at once I've found reading red writing on white paper can bring on an attack also bright lights good sun glasses help

I agreed with shysal, it definitely sounds like scintillating scotoma. I've had it myself a number of times and for me, it's like a clear plastic fan revolving in the centre of my vision. It goes away after about 10-15 mins, and doesn't leave a headache (although for some people, it does). My optician and GP both advised that although it can be distressing/disturbing, it's not indicative of any health problem.

I get these occasionally and they last for about 20 minutes. A couple of weeks ago, it happened three times within a few days. I was on doxycycline and think that caused the increase.

The same thing happened to me about 15 years ago, LadyGracie. I was driving and saw what I rightly assumed was blood cascading down inside my eye. It was diagnosed as a pulling of the gel at the back of the eye. I still have a floater to this day, where it did not all reabsorb, and see flashing lights when I turn my eyes in the dark. I have fortunately had no further problems, except a minor version of the same thing in the other eye.
I hope you will get on OK at your appointment, eyes problems are worrying aren't they?

Last Friday I had a back spot in my vision in my left eye gradually overnight it developed into what I can only describe as a cobweb which I still have. I saw my GP on Monday morning, and the optician on Monday afternoon who examined my eyes after inserting dilation drops, the gel in the eye when you're older sometimes moves and bunches up causing the cobweb effect, these can just as easily be reabsorbed. They can in some circumstances pull on the back of the eye causing the retina to detach or start to detach. In my case there has been some pulling and there has been a small amount of bleeding, I have an emergency appointment at the hospital next Wednesday. I didn't know really anything about eyes until now. Sorry if I've waffled and bored anyone.

Mine are quite similar to the ones you describe Harri and occur mainly when I am feeling extra stressed. They sometimes also come on as a result of looking (accidentally) at a bright light.

For anybody who watched Primeval on TV with their GCS, it is rather like the 'anomolies' on the programme, but without the dinosaurs!

Perhaps you were in Colditz in another life Harrigran

Mine are zig zaggy brightness at the edge of my vision, which gradually fade outwards and go in about 20 mins or 30 mins.

I liked the sound of the louche jazz combo Maggie

I get these migraine auras, they are quite disturbing when they happen and the only thing I can do is sit quietly until it passes usually about half an hour. My last one was just the other week when three stressful things happened in the space of a couple of hours. Mine appear as moving rolls of barbed wire with a searchlight shining through.

I had something similar and went to the optician he said it was tiny pieces of the eye fluid coming away. You do need to get it checked out as in some instances it is caused by retina damage which is more serious. I am a migraine sufferer anyway and as I have different symptoms with that went to the optician rather than the GP