Migraine and stripe-induced visual discomfort

D. A. Marcus and M. J. Soso
Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261.

We investigated stripe-induced visual discomfort and its relation to migraine. Some people find viewing striped patterns aversive. Prior work has suggested that migraineurs, in particular, are bothered by stripes. Subjects were selected by opportunity sampling. They were shown striped patterns and asked questions about their general health and their headache history, if any. Of the 102 subjects, 38 were diagnosed as having migraine headaches, 22 had nonmigraine headaches, and 42 were considered to be nonheadache subjects; 82% of those with migraines were stripe sensitive while only 6.2% without migraines were stripe sensitive. We conclude that stripe aversiveness is related to migraine headaches and can assist differentiation of migraine and nonmigraine headaches.

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