Neuro-ophthalmologic Manifestations of Primary Headache Disorders

Abstract

Headaches are the most common disorders of the central nervous system affecting 46% of the adult population worldwide. Headaches may be lifelong illnesses, often associated with substantial disability for the individual and the population as a whole. The International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-II) codifies headache disorders into fourteen categories, predominantly primary headaches and secondary headache disorders. Primary headache disorders, mainly migraine and trigeminal autonomic cephalgias (TACs), are frequently associated with neuro-ophthalmologic manifestations. Ophthalmologists are often the first physicians to be involved in the deciphering of headache-related visual disturbances. This article reviews two major primary headache disorders, migraine and trigeminal autonomic cephalgias, and discusses their neuro-ophthalmic complications, clinical presentation, and treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• migraine
• cluster
• trigeminal autonomic cephalgias
• aura
• paroxysmal hemicrania
• hemicrania continua
• SUNCT