Visual Illusions
Type: Transitory aura symptom — typically develops gradually over 5–20 minutes and resolves within 60 minutes.
What is it?
Visual illusions are distortions or modifications of real visual images. Unlike hallucinations (which appear without external visual input), illusions involve misperception of things you actually see. Objects may appear larger, smaller, distorted, or moving incorrectly.
What it feels like
Real objects in your environment appear altered. A person may look giant or tiny. An edge may appear curved or wavy. Objects may seem to move when they are actually still, or motion may look jerky and frame-by-frame. Your depth perception may be off, making distances seem wrong. These perceptions are always temporary and fully reversible.
Medical illustration of diplopia (double vision) — a visual illusion that can occur as a transitory aura symptom.
How patients describe it
“I don’t know how to begin to convey the ‘appearance’ of a scotoma. The first time I experienced one, I was looking at the cover of a clothbound book, with a decorative border and the title in the center. When I looked at the title, it disappeared. There was no black spot, no hole… It looked like a bookcover with a decorative border and no title. The texture and appearance of the fabric extended across the blind spot.” — D.P.B.S.
Subtypes
Dysmetropsia
Objects appear to be the wrong size or distance. Subtypes include:
Macropsia
Objects appear much larger than they actually are.
Micropsia
Objects appear much smaller than they actually are.
Pelopsia
Objects appear closer than they actually are.
Teleopsia
Objects appear farther away than they actually are.
Diplopia (Double Vision)
You see two images of a single object. The images may be side-by-side or overlapping.
Polyopia (Multiple Images)
You see multiple copies of a single object, arranged in a pattern or series.
Visual Perseveration / Palinopsia (Lingering Images)
Images remain visible after you look away, or images reappear repeatedly. Afterimages linger much longer than normal.
Cinematographic Vision (Stroboscopic Vision)
Moving objects appear as a series of still frames rather than smooth motion, like watching a film run too slowly or a series of photographs.
Corona Phenomenon (Haloing)
Objects appear surrounded by an extra glow, outline, or halo effect that is not actually present.
Illusory Visual Splitting
An image appears to be cut, split, or divided, as if there is a line or gap through the middle of what you are looking at.
Metamorphopsia (Distorted Shapes)
Objects appear warped, bent, or distorted in shape. Straight lines may appear curved or wavy. Patterns may appear tilted or twisted.
Facial Metamorphopsia (Distorted Faces)
Faces appear distorted, warped, or grotesque. Features may appear exaggerated, twisted, or disproportionate.
Mosaic Illusion (Fragmented Vision)
The visual image breaks into tile-like or mosaic-like pieces, as if you are looking through a shattered window or at a pixelated image.
Autokinesis (Illusory Movement)
Stationary objects appear to move on their own, even though you know they are still. The movement is typically subtle and slow.
Tilted Vision / Inverted Vision
The visual world appears tilted, rotated, or turned upside down. Vertical lines may appear slanted.
Related symptoms
- Visual hallucinations and scotoma
- Visual loss and blurred vision
- Depersonalization and spatial disorientation
- Motor symptoms (dizziness, balance problems)
Clinical note
Visual illusions during migraine aura are benign temporary perceptual distortions caused by altered cortical activity. They always resolve completely. If illusions persist or worsen after the aura phase, or if they are accompanied by other neurological symptoms, seek medical evaluation.
If this is the first time you experience these symptoms, or they feel different from previous episodes, seek medical evaluation to rule out other causes.