People who suffer from migraines often have a variety of visual symptoms. These include seeing an aura prior to the onset of headache, blurred vision, difficulty reading on screens or even on paper, and eye pain.

Patients with migraines often have reduced visual quality of life (QoL). This is according to a study published in Headache by doctors at the University of Utah. They assessed the visual quality of life, headache impact, aura, dry eye, and photophobia in migraine patients.

The researchers concluded that “Dry eye seems to be the most important symptom that reduces visual quality of life and worsens headache impact.”

Research has consistently shown that dry eye disease has a significant impact on several aspects of patients’ QoL, including pain, vitality, ability to perform certain activities requiring sustained visual attention (e.g., reading, driving), and productivity in the workplace.

Some people may not be aware that their eyes are dry. Their eyes might just feel fatigued or irritated. Ophthalmologists perform the Schirmer test to detect dry eye disease. It is done by placing a strip of filter paper under the lower eyelid and measuring the length of the strip that gets wet.

It is not clear if treating dryness of the eyes will help migraine headaches but it is very likely to improve visual functioning and QoL. Some of the treatments for dry eyes include artificial tears, tear stimulation, and anti-inflammatory therapy.

Vitamin D deficiency predisposes to or worsens many different medical problems. I’ve written at least a dozen blog posts on vitamin D.

A group of South Korean researchers just published in the journal Neurology a study, Prevention of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo with vitamin D supplementation. A randomized trial.

They selected 518 patients with confirmed BPPV who were successfully treated with canalith repositioning maneuvers (Epley maneuver) and who had a vitamin D level below 20. The primary outcome measure was the annual recurrence rate. Patients in the intervention group were given vitamin D 400 IU and 500 mg of calcium carbonate twice a day for 1 year. Patients in the observation group were assigned to follow-ups without further vitamin D evaluation or supplementation.

The intervention group had a significant reduction in the treatment group compared to the observation group.

The authors concluded that supplementation of vitamin D and calcium may be considered in patients with frequent attacks of BPPV, especially when serum vitamin D is subnormal.

BPPV, dizziness, vertigo, difficulty with balance are more common in people with migraines. Keeping your vitamin D level at least in the middle of the normal range may help prevent all these symptoms as well as migraines and other neurological problems.

People who live at high altitudes tend to have lower oxygen levels in their blood. A higher percentage of them suffer from migraines than people who live at sea level.

Oxygen is effective for a significant percentage of patients with cluster headaches. It is much less effective for the treatment of migraines. Two small studies showed that oxygen under normal pressure is ineffective for the acute treatment of migraine but oxygen under pressure, or hyperbaric oxygen, is. The first study had 10 patients, the second, only eight.

Norwegian researchers conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the prophylactic effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on migraine. The effect of three daily sessions of hyperbaric oxygen was compared to the effect of three hyperbaric air treatments. Oxygen under pressure appeared to be more effective. However, because the number of patients was small – 19 in the oxygen and 15 in the air group – no statistical significance was found.

Even if proven effective, using hyperbaric oxygen for the acute treatment of migraines, is highly impractical. There are few hyperbaric chambers to be found. It is also a very expensive treatment.