Symptoms felt before and after a headache
Migraine Aura
Related terms · Migraine prodrome · Flashing lights in vision
Migraine aura refers to symptoms such as flashing lights or zigzag patterns in the vision, or temporary changes in sensation or speech, occurring before or during a headache. This does not occur in all migraines.
Meaning and Distinctions
What are migraine auras?
While there is a typical pattern of symptoms gradually spreading and then recovering, you should not self-diagnose Migrainenewly occurring paralysis or difficulty speaking as a migraine. A migraine aura refers to symptoms such as flashing lights, zigzag patterns in the vision, or temporary changes in sensation or speech that occur before or during a headache. Not all migraines have auras.
- Easily confused terms
- Neurological symptoms that start suddenly and persist must first be checked for other causes, such as a stroke.
- Why this is checked during medical evaluation
- Record the start and recovery times of the aura separately in your headache diary to distinguish the pattern of the attacks.
- What to note down for your visit
- Record the time it first started, the order in which your vision and sensation changed, and the time you fully recovered.
Dizziness, Ear, Head, and Face Glossary
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Check guides where this term is used
- Condition GuideMigraineMigraine is not a condition confirmed by a single blood test or MRI; it is clinically diagnosed by synthesizing recurring headache patterns, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, aura, and physical and neurological examinations. If typical migraine patterns are stable and the examination is normal, brain imaging is not always necessary. CT or MRI is selected to identify other causes if the headache starts suddenly and severely, changes rapidly in appearance, or if new headaches, neurological abnormalities, or persistent atypical aura occur after age 50.→
- Condition GuideHeadacheHeadaches can appear as pressure or throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head, or in the front, side, or back, and may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light, sound, and smell. Migraines often present as throbbing pain that gradually worsens on one side, along with nausea and sensory hypersensitivity; some experience auras such as flashing vision, difficulty speaking, or tingling in the hands and face before the pain. However, newly occurring paralysis, sensory loss, or speech impairment must not be assumed to be a migraine aura. Immediate emergency evaluation is required for a sudden, severe 'worst-ever' headache, seizures, decreased consciousness, one-sided paralysis, difficulty speaking or walking, loss of vision, high fever, neck stiffness, non-blanching rash, or a headache following head trauma.→
- Medical Evaluation GuideWhat are the differences between BPPV, Meniere's disease, and vestibular migraine?If a sensation of spinning lasts from a few seconds to around 1 minute and recurs when turning over or lifting your head, it helps in identifying BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). If dizziness lasting from tens of minutes to several hours occurs alongside changes in hearing in one ear, tinnitus, or a feeling of fullness in the ear, we check for Meniere's disease; if there is sensitivity to light, sound, and movement, or a history of migraines, even without a current headache, we check for vestibular migraine. We differentiate these by matching symptoms with hearing tests, nystagmus observation, neurological examinations, and changes over time.→
- Head, Ear, and Face ColumnWhy the sequence is important when dizziness, headache, and nausea occur together→
Evidence and Update Information
The following materials were referenced to verify the basis and scope of the definitions and treatment descriptions.