Euro Optometry and Vision Science

Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension – Ocular Migraine

Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) is a syndrome which is characterised by elevated intracranial pressure around the brain in the absence of any neural diseases. It is a rare disorder which usually occurs in children and obese women during the childbearing stages. The increased amount of cerebrospinal fluid can cause optic nerve damage and swelling, which is a condition called papilledema. The main symptoms include sever head ache, optic atrophy, and eventually leads to blindness. Since the symptoms closely matches to brain tumour, it is partially known as “pseudotumour cerebri”, meaning “false brain tumour”.