The refractive errors and migraine headaches

Introduction:Optometrists frequently encounter patients with migraine headache suspecting that visual anomalies might trigger such headaches. Due to controversial results on the relationship between migraine headaches and refractive errors, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between refractive errors and migraine.Material and Methods:In this case-control study, 60 patients with neurologically diagnosed migraine in the study group and 60 in the control group were studied. At first, the patients were screened by standard headache questionnaire and the diagnosis was approved by a neurologist. The refractive errors were determined by retinoscopy and corrected if necessary. The control group was selected from the individuals matched based on sex and age. The data were analyzed in SPSS 13, usingMan-withney u test and multiple logistic regression. Due to the high correlation between the spherical equivalent of the right and left eyes, only the results of the left eye were presented.Results:In this study, the means of the sphere in the case and control groups were 0.12 ± 0.53 D and 0.04±1.58 D (p>0.05) while the mean of the spherical equivalent in the study and control group was –0.38±1.75 and –0.14±1.74 D (p>0.05). Themean of astigmatism in the study and control group was –0.85±0.88 and –0.5±1.0 D (p<0.001), respectively. Hence, the mean of astigmatism was statistically different between the two groups and in multiple logistic regression. Only this variable stayed in the model (p=0.04).Conclusion:The results of this study showed higher rates of astigmatism in the migraine group than the control one. Therefore, people who experience migraine headaches should visit their optometrist to ensure that their refractive errors are appropriately corrected.