1.2.4 Retinal migraine

The patient reports three such episodes over the years. He describes bright zigzagging lines appearing in his right eye, and within a minute or two he finds it hard to get his words out, both symptoms present together before fading. The lines build up gradually across some five to six minutes rather than flashing on instantly. Head pain begins while the visual disturbance is still present, and the whole episode clears within about a quarter of an hour, close to sixteen minutes by his own reckoning. Testing during a previous attack showed a defect confined to the right eye alone, consistent with transient loss of vision in one eye. He has no significant medical history, and neither demonstrated a vascular or embolic cause on further review.