Diese Seite ist für Browser optimiert, die Web-Standards unterstützen. Andere Browser zeigen lediglich eine vereinfachte Version an, ermöglichen jedoch ebenfalls den Zugang zu allen Texten dieser Site.

Printer friendly version

SYMPTOMS | PATHOMECHANISMS | HISTORY

Symptoms

Transitory aura symptoms

Visual illusions

Visual loss

Persistent aura symptoms

Author: Klaus Podoll	13. May 2007
Edited by: Klaus Podoll

Dysmetropsia

The term dysmetropsia (Wilson, 1916) is used to denote a group of visual illusions involving an alteration in the apparent size and/or distance of visual objects. It comprises macropsia and micropsia (i.e. visual targets getting larger and smaller), pelopsia and teleopsia (objects appearing nearer and further away), and combinations of these illusions.

The following reports of dysmetropsia are quoted from entries in the internet.

A video (2001) of Shirley H. Wray's Neuro-Ophthalmology Collection from the Neuro-Opthalmology Virtual Education Library shows an interview with a 10-year-old boy reporting macropsia whilst looking at his own hands and feet during a migraine attack (to see the sequence in question, 4:03-5:00, click here).

"I have been suffering from the following symptoms, with varied severeness for the past 2 months: ... Incorrect perception of depth (Feels that way... kinda like being in a room, which will seem bigger to [i.e. macropsia] or smaller to [i.e. micropsia] than it normally seems)"

(Only Me, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, alt.support.headaches, Subject: Heres the symptons...any ideas?, February 15, 2002)

The poem Migraine by roovacrag (2003) describes a visual aura with the impression of "Looking through a telescope", i.e. macropsia and pelopsia.

Migraine

by roovacrag

Fuzzy head,not yet pain.
Wavy lines, not explained.
Looking through a telescope.
Do i have hope.

Blackness comes before the pain.
Close the curtains, dark maintained.
wait for the pain.
Behind the eyes, pain erupts.

Feel sick.
Close eyes.
Blank out.
Like a blackout.

Could take minutes.
Could take hours.
Could take weeks.
Not a headache,
just full of pain.

© 2004 roovagrac (see here)

"I noticed when playing a game called Quake II that setting the 'field of view' to a wide angle gives an inaccurate though eerily similar effect to the visual distortion I am used to [i.e. teleopsia, the visual illusion whereby objects appear further away]. You really need to play the game to get the effect, but here's a couple of pics to give you some idea. Here's 'normal' mode.

And here's a wide field of view. Sorry about the corpse, he just got in the way. Note that I didn't move backwards - those little red things just appear to be a long way away now."

(rikkus, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, November 9, 2004)

One of our readers wrote: "The perception that objects may appear smaller or larger is quite familiar to me. I can remember sitting in lecture hall and having the instructor apparently 'shrink' almost to the size of pin-head. This was accompanied by a headache and tingling sensation."

(Dwight Lariviere, Emails to Klaus Podoll, February 20, 2006)

Are you acquainted with similar phenomena associated with your migraine attacks? Please contact Dr Klaus Podoll if you wish to share and discuss your experiences.

References

Wilson SAK. Dysmetropsia and its pathogenesis. Trans Ophthalmol Soc UK 1916; 36: 412-444.

top top

zms

http://www.migraine-aura.org/

We subscribe to the HONcode principles. Verify here.

Pre-publication research on migraine with aura