Migraine is a central nervous system disorder frequently expressed with paroxysmal visual dysfunctions.
Objective
To test the hypothesis that normal visual input is vital for the migrainous aura and photophobia.
Method
We studied the migraine-related visual disturbances in 8 sightless migraineurs identified among 200 visually impaired subjects.
Results
The main findings were the visual aura and photophobia disappearance along with blindness development, the oddness of aura – too short, colourful (e.g. blue or fire-like), auditory in nature or different in shape (round forms) – and the lack of photophobia.
Conclusion
We propose that the aura duration should be accepted as shorter in visually impaired subjects. The changes in aura phenotype observed in our patients may be the result of both cerebral plasticity induced by the visual impairment and/or the lack of visual input per se. Integrity of visual pathways plays a key role in migraine visual aura and photophobia.
migraine with aura; low vision; blindness; visual aura; photophobia