Amazing brain lightening

At the moment I cannot see clearly what is directly in front of me because of an unusual condition that's happened again. Let's see if I can describe it. If I close either eye the aberration still appears, so I know it is not my eyes but my brain (or mind). It looks like a horseshoe-on-its-side shape, but it is shimmery like Christmas-tree tinsel. In the area within the horseshoe shape I cannot see clearly what is there, although I can see enough to have an idea of what is there -- but if I try to read the text I'm typing while it is in that area I cannot see it, not like a blind spot but like a view through broken mirror glass. This oval crescent shape is expanding outward, slowly, and the right side of it is a normal view, not shimmery. The bottom edge is now nearly below my eyelid. Seems like it should have a physical feeling, but I feel nothing.

This all came about in the last 10 minutes. I was driving, but I didn't notice it until I returned home and glanced at the TV screen. I'm calling it "lightening" today because I recently bought a book about an autistic artist, by her mother, called "Exiting Nirvana", and it includes reproductions of several [I'm typing nearly blind at the moment] reproductions of the person's finely-detailed painted -- several include "pink lightening" which appear only in her mind's eye. I imagine this is similar.... It is nearly gone now, having expanded out of sight like a camera zooming closer and closer to an object. The center area within the arc is still a little fractured. I wonder if this is a migraine headache, or a mini stroke, or just a glitch? I've had these for several years, perhaps most of my life, about 2 to 3 times a year. My opthamologist asked to me to keep a record if it comes back, so here is that record.

I've come down with a very definite but mild cold since yesterday afternoon. I slept poorly last night, due to Kim waking me get me to stop snoring and to the general coldness in the house (62° f). Some emotional stress yesterday and last night. Dropped Kim at her work at 9am, went to ATM at bank, went to Starbucks for grande double-decaf soy latte. Short detour drive up toward Acalanes Ridge to check view of distant valley and hills. Came home and noticed vision weirdness. This photo is just outside of the Starbucks. News on TV, radio, and even in the newspaper stands: Saddam Hangs. I don't think that is why the vision thing came back.

The brain lightening is nearly gone now.