See through different eyes
What Migraine aura looks like
A shimmering blind spot before or during a migraine
≈1 in 4 people who get migraines · American Migraine Foundation · Learn more
What it is
A wave of altered electrical activity spreading slowly across the visual cortex, which is seen as a disturbance in the visual field. It is not happening in the eye, which is why it appears in the same place regardless of which eye is closed.
What it looks like day to day
Typically a small shimmering spot that grows over about twenty minutes into a crescent of flickering zigzags, often with a blind area inside it, before fading. It moves with your gaze because it sits in the visual field rather than the world. Reading and driving are usually impossible during it. A headache may follow, or may not.
What helps
Most auras resolve on their own within an hour. People who get them often learn their own triggers and use the aura as a warning to stop, get somewhere dim, and treat the migraine early if one is coming. A first aura, or one that changes character, is usually investigated.
Who it affects
About one in four people who get migraines experience aura. Aura can also occur without any headache at all, which is more common with increasing age.
Related conditions
Explore every condition or learn about color blindness.
This is an approximation, not a medical diagnosis.