Why do you go completely blind just before you get an excruciating headache?

Answer 1

This question seems to regard a particular type of headache known as a migraine. Most traditional migraineurs experience "auras" as a preliminary symptom of an incoming migraine, which could explain the blindness. Auras typically comprise various shapes affecting peripheral and focused vision and can be just as annoying as the migraine itself. Auras are hard to describe visually, but mine look like a very bright light shining through a prism in water (i.e. a pulsating rainbow effect). In my case, which differs from one migraine sufferer to the next, the worse my vision is due to auras and the longer the auras last, the worse the migraine will be. I recall one time being "blinded" by auras where I was not fit to do anything at all--I could not read anything nor could I focus on anything at all. The migraine that followed those symptoms evolved into the worst one I had, which caused vomiting, nausea, and rendered me totally useless for a few hours.

If you experience those symptoms, I recommend taking some type of powerful pain killer immediately. Additionally, begin logging your results per migraine. I record perhaps too much information, but I note the time of day the auras started, how long the auras lasted, rate the severity of the auras, the total duration of the migraine experience, rate the pain associated with migraines, note side effects, record every bit of food eaten (or not eaten) that day and the day before, barometric pressure difference from the day of the migraine and the previous day, the amount of sleep from the night before (or lack thereof), the stress level in your life, pollen levels outside, and note your hypersensitivities (does light bother your eyes? sound? etc.). From taking such logs, I've been able to deduce that irregular dieting (skipping a meal), ingesting caffeine at the wrong time of the day, lacking sleep, and stress factor into triggering migraines. I have it down almost to a T where if I want to induce a migraine, I know exactly how to diet, sleep, and live 48 hours before getting one.

Good luck in overcoming them!