Can Neuro-Optometry Help With Migraines? Exploring Visual Triggers and Treatments

Migraines are a widespread neurological condition, and it only takes one to make you understand their impact. If you’re among the 37 million Americans affected by migraines, you know management is key, especially because there’s no cure.

One area people often overlook is their vision system, which is linked to migraines both directly and indirectly. As specialists in neuro-optometry, our experienced team at DeyeNAMICS understands this connection and often corrects vision issues to help reduce migraine frequency and severity. 

Let’s take a look at how your vision system may trigger migraines and different ways to manage this through neuro-optometry.

Migraines and your vision

If you have migraines “with aura,” this means you might experience vision disturbances before, during, and after your migraine. These vision disturbances are symptoms of the underlying neurological issues, rather than the cause of the migraine itself.

As neuro-optometrists, we can also help determine whether other vision issues may be triggering your migraines.

Migraine triggers that involve your vision system

Migraine triggers vary greatly from one person to the next. One person might have migraines triggered by red wine and chocolate, while another responds to changes in the weather.

Other possible migraine triggers include vision issues, such as:

Binocular vision dysfunction

This describes a misalignment in your eyes that affects how well they track and work together. A misalignment can lead to dizziness, eye strain, and — you guessed it — migraines and headaches.

Digital eye strain

Our modern world is heavy on screen use: In the United States, people spend an average of seven hours each day staring at screens. This heavy screen usage can lead to digital eye strain, and for people with migraines who experience photosensitivity, the eye strain can trigger or worsen a migraine.

Identifying and managing migraine triggers through neuro-optometry

Our neuro-optometrists look for obvious and not-so-obvious visual dysfunctions that may exacerbate, and even trigger, your migraines. 

For example, we can help you manage the connection between photosensitivity and eye strain to prevent migraines, possibly recommending special lenses that filter out certain wavelengths of light. Or, if we find that you have a binocular vision dysfunction, we can improve the alignment in your eyes so your brain receives better information.

By improving your vision system, we can help reduce both the number of your migraines and their severity. 

If you want to sit down with one of our neuro-optometrists to see whether your vision might be triggering your migraines, contact us at one of our offices in Sacramento, Bellflower, or Valencia, California; Guilford, Connecticut; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; or Plano, Texas, to set up an appointment.