Monday, March 09, 2009 justmeetc asks

Q: I have been getting vision blurring headaches when studying Calculus.

I am over 45 and have suffered from Migraines as an adult. In the past, I eliminated the trigger foods and reduced stress in my life and have been migraine free for several years. I went back to school about 3 years ago - without a problem. However for the last two quarters, I have been getting headaches; my vision blurs and although it has never "grown" into a full blown migraine, it feels like it could. This started when I started Calculus. I noticed that either during or after class and whenever I study Calculus at home, my vision starts to blur and my head starts to ache. I'm in the 2nd quarter and carrying an "A". I have three more weeks until I'm done.

There are other factors to consider, 1) School is on Sunday and I commute ~50 miles one way to the classroom (I normmally work from home). 2) The instructor uses white board markers A LOT during his 2+ hour lecture. 3) I am primarily sedentary, I don't get much sun and I work mostly in front of a computer. I would consider the commute + sun and white board markers the most likely cause except that the headache also occurs when I study Calculus from home.

I take an OTC headache tablet at the first hint my vision is blurring or as a precaution before driving to school. The blurred vision and/or headache can last over 6 hours after its starts. I cannot imagine that studying for a Calculus is actually causing the headache, but am bewildered by my simptoms. Is there anything I can do prevent this phenomenon?

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Answers (2)

Teri Robert, Health Guide

3/14/09 1:07pm

justmeetc,

I agree with you that it's highly unlikely that studying calcullus is triggering this headache or Migraine. There are two possibilities that occur to me:

1) Perhaps your posture or something else brings on a tension-type headache, which in turn triggers a Migraine attack.

2) There may be something about your calculus textbook that's a Migraine trigger -- glue used in the binding, it's exposure to cleaning products or someother substance that's a trigger.

Your thoughts about possible triggers in the classroom are excellent.

How many days a week are you taking the OTC tablets? If you're taking them more than two or three days a week, the could be making matters worse by causing medication overuse headache (MOH), aka rebound. See Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfires for more information on this.

All in all, you really should consult your doctor about this since it's definitely a change in your Migraine pattern.

Good luck with keeping that A!

Teri

Lynne

3/10/09 1:56pm

First of all, congratulations on going back to school - even with migraines, life long learning is what keeps us moving forward, engaged, and young! I went back to school in my early 30's, and found that the increased computer, reading, and lack of sleep really became a challenge. My biggest challenge was my vision, which at first I contributed to stress and the type of content I was dealing with. I've worn glasses for distance since I was 16, so I thought maybe I should update my lenses. Much to my surprise, I also needed to now wear reading glasses - at the ripe old age of 32. But it made such a difference in my stamina and comprehension. It also reduced the number and severity of the migraines I experienced. So just a thought - hope you find a solution soon!

Q: I have been getting vision blurring headaches when studying Calculus.

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