What does migraine aura look like — and what should you record?
Migraine aura can include zigzag or flashing visual changes, tingling and speech symptoms. A symptom description alone cannot establish that an episode is migraine, especially when it is new or different.
On this page
Describe what happened in your own words
Instead of writing only ‘aura’, describe the change: where you noticed it, whether it spread, its start and end, and whether headache followed. If you could not tell which eye or part of your vision was affected, record that uncertainty. You do not need to force the experience into a diagnostic category.
Aura can occur without a later headache. That possibility does not make a first episode something to diagnose yourself from an image or checklist.
When recording should wait
The NHS advises urgent help for aura lasting over an hour. Sudden extreme headache, new weakness, loss of vision, confusion or new trouble speaking warrants emergency assessment. Follow your local emergency guidance rather than finishing a diary entry. A previous migraine diagnosis does not establish the cause of every new symptom.
Example of a sequence, not a diagnosis
Invented diary example: 10:10 — noticed flickering lines while reading. 10:20 — the affected area seemed larger. 10:35 — visual change stopped. 10:50 — head pain began. The times are approximate.
The value here is the sequence and the uncertainty label. The example cannot tell you whether your own symptoms are aura. Keep separate times for distinct symptoms instead of compressing them into a single duration.
Bring a clear record to the appointment
Use the symptom record alongside the attack timeline. Write down whether the episode was familiar or different and questions you want to ask. These are free recording tools, not symptom checkers.
If it is hard to write during an established episode, an approximate note afterwards is still preferable to invented detail. See how to keep a manageable diary.