Retinal migraine is a different disease than scintillating scotoma, which is a visual anomaly caused by spreading depression in the occipital cortex at the back of the brain, not in the eyes nor any component thereof.

[2] Unlike in retinal migraine, a scintillating scotoma involves repeated bouts of temporary diminished vision or blindness and affects vision from both eyes, upon which patients may see flashes of light, zigzagging patterns, blind spots, or shimmering spots or stars.

Retinal migraine tends to be more common in: The medical exam should rule out any underlying causes, such as blood clot, stroke, pituitary tumor, or detached retina.

[5] Treatment depends on identifying behavior that triggers migraine such as stress, sleep deprivation, skipped meals, food sensitivities, or specific activities.

[citation needed] The visual field data suggests that there is a higher incidence of end arteriolar distribution infraction and a higher incidence of permanent visual field defects in retinal migraine than in clinically manifest cerebral infarctions in migraine with aura.