What Is Kaleidoscope Vision and Why Does It Happen?
Are you experiencing impaired vision where images appear to be broken up? You may be experiencing kaleidoscope vision. This video explains the symptoms and causes of this, and when to seek medical care.
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Kaleidoscope vision is a short-lived distortion that causes things to look like you’re peering through a kaleidoscope. Migraine with aura is the most common cause. Rarely, it may be a symptom of a serious condition.

In kaleidoscope vision, the images you see may appear broken up and brightly colored, like the image in a kaleidoscope. The images may move around.

You may see the distorted image in one or both eyes, but it may be hard to determine because the image usually appears only in a part of the visual field. Covering one eye at a time may help you determine if both eyes are affected.

If you see the distorted image in each eye separately, the cause of kaleidoscope vision may have a neurological cause related to the part of your brain involved in vision, instead of resulting from a problem with the eyes.

The most common cause of kaleidoscope vision is migraine with aura, which can be ocular or retinal. It’s seen in about 25%Trusted Source of people who have migraine.

Common migraine with aura symptoms may includeTrusted Source:

  • zigzag lines that often shimmer (they may be colored or black and silver, and they may appear to move across your field of vision)
  • dots, stars, spots, squiggles, and “flashbulb” effects
  • a faint, foggy area surrounded by zigzag lines that can grow and break up over time
  • blind spots, tunnel vision, or total loss of vision for a short period
  • a sensation of looking through water or heat waves
  • loss of color vision
  • objects appearing too large, small, close, or far away

At the same time as the visual aura episode, or after it, you may also experience other types of aura or migraine episodes. These include:

  • Sensory aura: You’ll experience tingling in your fingers that spread up your arm, sometimes reaching one side of your face and tongue.
  • Dysphasic aura: Your speech is disrupted, and you forget words or can’t say what you mean.
  • Hemiplegic migraine: During a hemiplegic migraine episode, the limbs on one side of your body and the muscles of your face might become weak.

Sometimes people use the terms “ocular” and “retinal” in place of one another, but they’re different. You may need to ask a healthcare professional if any of these conditions applies to your symptoms.

Ocular migraine

Doctors may refer to ocular migraine as visual or ophthalmic migraine. The clinical term for aura associated with ocular migraine is “scintillating scotoma.” Ocular migraine episodes most often occur in both eyes.

This happens when the nerve endings in the back portion of the brain, known as the visual cortex, become activated. The reason for this is unknown. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can showTrusted Source the activation spreading over the visual cortex as the migraine episode proceeds.

The symptoms usually pass within 60 minutesTrusted Source. You don’t necessarily get a migraine headache at the same time. When you experience a visual migraine episode without a headache, it’s called an acephalgic migraine episode.

Retinal migraine

Some specialists may use the terms “visual,” “ocular,” or “ophthalmic aura” to describe retinal migraine.

However, retinal migraine is a more serious condition than visual migraine. It’s caused by a lack of blood flow to the eye.

It usually involvesTrusted Source a blind spot or complete vision loss in just one eye. But you may experience some of the same visual distortions as with an aura episode caused by ocular migraine.

Although the terminology may seem confusing, a doctor or other healthcare professional can help you understand which condition you have.

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is caused by a decrease in blood flow to the brain. Although the symptoms of a TIA pass quickly, it’s a serious condition. It can signal the onset of a full stroke that may more seriously affect your abilities.

Sometimes a TIA can produce symptoms similar to a visual migraine episode, including kaleidoscope vision. So, if you think you’re experiencing a visual migraine episode, it’s important to talk with a healthcare professional to confirm it’s not a TIA.

One of the differences is that in migraine, the symptoms usually occur in sequence. You may have visual symptoms first, followed by effects on the body or other senses. In a TIA, all the symptoms usually happen at onceTrusted Source.

Multiple sclerosis and migraine

Migraine is more common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). A 2020 reviewTrusted Source of several studies notes that 55% of people living with MS also experience migraine. The prevalence of migraine with aura specifically is only 10%.

However, the causal connection between migraine and MS isn’t fully understood. Migraine may be a signal that MS will develop, or they may share a common cause.

If you’re living with MS and experience kaleidoscope vision, it’s possible that it’s the result of a visual migraine episode. But don’t rule out the other possibilities of a TIA or retinal migraine episode.

Hallucinogens

Kaleidoscope vision, as well as some of the other visual distortions known to occur in migraine with aura, can be produced by hallucinogenic agents.

For example, LSD and MDMA (also known as molly or ecstasy) can causeTrusted Source you to see bright but unstable colored images prone to sudden kaleidoscopic changes.

Here are some of the symptoms that may indicate kaleidoscopic vision is related to something different to migraine with aura:

  • the appearance of new dark spots or floaters in one eye, possibly accompanied by flashes of light and loss of vision
  • new flashes of light in one eye that last longer than an hour
  • repeated episodes of temporary vision loss in one eye
  • tunnel vision or loss of vision on one side of the visual field
  • a sudden change in the duration or intensity of migraine symptoms

If you have any of these symptoms, it’s important to see an ophthalmologist.

Kaleidoscope vision is most often a result of a visual migraine. The symptoms will usually pass in less than 60 minutes, and you may experience no head pain at all.

This type of vision can also be a symptom of other conditions that merit emergency treatment, including a eye conditions that can threaten your vision, upcoming strokes, or a brain injury. It’s important to see an ophthalmologist if you experience kaleidoscope vision.