Symptoms

Migraine aura symptoms include temporary visual or other disturbances that usually strike before other migraine symptoms — such as intense head pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound.

Migraine aura usually occurs within an hour before head pain begins and generally lasts less than 60 minutes. Sometimes migraine aura occurs without headache, especially in people age 50 and older.

Visual signs and symptoms

Most people who have migraine with aura develop temporary visual signs and symptoms, which tend to start in the center of the field of vision and spread outward. These might include:

• Blind spots (scotomas), which are sometimes outlined by simple geometric designs
• Zigzag lines that gradually float across your field of vision
• Shimmering spots or stars
• Changes in vision or vision loss
• Flashes of light

Other disturbances

Other temporary disturbances sometimes associated with migraine aura include:

• Numbness, typically felt as tingling in one hand or on one side of your face that may spread slowly along a limb
• Speech or language difficulty
• Muscle weakness

When to see a doctor

See your doctor immediately if you have new signs and symptoms of migraine with aura, such as temporary vision loss, speech or language difficulty, and muscle weakness on one side of your body. Your doctor will need to rule out more-serious conditions, such as a stroke.