title: Aura-like features and photophobia in sightless migraine patients.
abstract: Migraine is a central nervous system disorder frequently expressed with paroxysmal visual dysfunctions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that normal visual input is vital for the migrainous aura and photophobia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied the migraine-related visual disturbances in 8 sightless migraineurs identified among 200 visually impaired subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main findings were the visual aura and photophobia disappearance along with blindness development, the oddness of aura - too short, colourful (e.g. blue or fire-like), auditory in nature or different in shape (round forms) - and the lack of photophobia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We propose that the aura duration should be accepted as shorter in visually impaired subjects. The changes in aura phenotype observed in our patients may be the result of both cerebral plasticity induced by the visual impairment and/or the lack of visual input per se. Integrity of visual pathways plays a key role in migraine visual aura and photophobia.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Naval Marcílio Dias, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Greice Cardoso de Carvalho
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Cristiana Pessoa de Queiroz Faria
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Góes
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maurice Borges
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Vincent
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001766:Blindness / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020325:Migraine with Aura / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020795:Photophobia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors