Migraine with aura

Aura is a set of temporary neurologic symptoms that can happen before or during a migraine attack. Aura is most often visual, but it can also affect sensation, speech, balance, or other neurologic functions.

What aura can feel like

• Visual symptoms such as flashing lights, bright spots, zigzag lines, blind spots, or temporary vision loss
• Tingling or pins and needles in an arm, leg, face, or one side of the body
• Numbness
• Dizziness
• Difficulty speaking

Aura symptoms usually develop gradually over several minutes and typically resolve within about an hour. Some people have aura without much head pain.

When to be cautious

Do not assume a new neurologic symptom is migraine. Seek urgent help for sudden weakness, facial droop, new trouble speaking, new vision loss, confusion, seizure, fainting, aura lasting longer than one hour, or symptoms that are different from the person's usual pattern.

If aura is part of your usual migraine pattern, document it consistently: what you saw or felt, when it started, whether it spread gradually, when it ended, and whether head pain followed. This helps with diagnosis, contraception conversations, medication choices, and emergency planning.

Sources

• Mayo Clinic: Migraine with aura
• Mayo Clinic: Migraine symptoms and causes
• NHS: Migraine