SUMMARY
Purpose:
To describe the epidemiological and clinical features of patients with ischemic optic neuropathy (ION) associated with migraine.
Methods:
Patients with ION associated with migraine examined during a 17-year period were reviewed retrospectively. The patients underwent a complete ophthalmological evaluation and appropriate laboratory investigations to rule out other diagnoses. ION was considered secondary to migraine when occurring in patients with a long history of migraine including some transient monocular visual blurring, loss of vision occurring during a migraine attack, and other possible causes being ruled out by appropriate tests.
Results:
Out of 446 ION patients, 18 (4.3%) were considered due to migraine. There were 14 women and 4 men with ages ranging from li to 53 years (mean 31.4). In two patients bilateral involvement occurred. Among the unilateral cases the right eye was involved in li patients and the left in 5. Visual acuity ranged from 20/20 to NLP. Visual field abnormalities were found in all patients in whom the test was feasib!e, there being predominance of altitudinal and arcuate defects. Optic disc edema was found in 1O eyes (50%), optic disc pallor in 9 (45%), and normal fundus in 1 (5%). In. 6 patients (30%) structural changes of the optic disc could be detected.
Conclusions:
Migraine may cause ION. Its diagnosis should be considered in patients with a history of migraine-associated transient visual loss and when other etiologies of the visual loss are ruled out by appropriate investigations.
Keywords:
Ischemic optic neuropathy; Migraine