Why Do My Eyes Hurt? 11 Possible Causes of Eye Pain and Soreness

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

• Where Does It Hurt?
• Common Eye Problems
• Other Symptoms
• Tests to Diagnose Eye Pain
• Treatments

Nearly everyone has had sore eyes at some point. Sometimes they get better on their own, but they can also be a sign of something more serious.

Your eye doctor can figure out what’s going on and find the right treatment for you.

Sometimes discomfort or pain results from a problem in your eye or the parts around it, such as:

• Cornea: The clear window in the front of your eye that focuses light
• Sclera: The whites of your eyes
• Conjunctiva: The ultra-thin covering of your sclera and the inside of your eyelid
• Iris: The colored part of your eye, with the pupil in the middle
• Orbit: A bony cave (eye socket) in your skull where the eye and its muscles are located.
• Extraocular muscles: They rotate your eye.
• Nerves: They carry visual information from your eyes to your brain.
• Eyelids: Outside coverings that protect and spread moisture over your eyes.

Blepharitis: An inflammation or infection of the eyelid which typically is not painful

Conjunctivitis (pinkeye): This is inflammation of the conjunctiva. It can be from allergies or infections (viral or bacterial). Blood vessels in the conjunctiva swell. This makes the part of your eye that’s usually white look red. Your eye could also get itchy and gunky. This condition is typically not painful.

Corneal abrasions: That’s the official name for a scratch on this part of your eye. It sounds minor, but it can hurt. It’s easy to do, too. You can scratch your eye while rubbing it. Your doctor will give you antibiotic drops. It should get better in a couple of days without further problems.

Corneal infections (keratitis): An inflamed or infected cornea is sometimes caused by a bacterial or viral infection. You may be more likely to get it if you leave your contacts in overnight or wear dirty lenses.

Foreign bodies: Something in your eye, like a bit of dirt, can irritate it. Try to rinse it out with artificial tears or water. If you don’t get it out, it can scratch your eye.

Glaucoma: This family of conditions causes fluid to build up in your eye. That puts pressure on your optic nerve. If you don’t treat it, you could lose your sight. Most of the time there are no early symptoms. But a type called acute angle-closure glaucoma causes pressure inside your eye to rise suddenly. Symptoms include severe eye pain, nausea and vomiting, headache, and worsening vision. This is an emergency. You need treatment ASAP to prevent blindness.

Iritis or uveitis: An inflammation inside your eye from trauma, infections, or problems with your immune system. Symptoms include pain, red eye, and, often, worse vision.

Optic neuritis: An inflammation of the nerve that travels from the back of the eyeball into your brain. Multiple sclerosis and other conditions or infections are often to blame. Symptoms include loss of vision and sometimes deep discomfort when you look from side to side.

Sinusitis: An infection in one of your sinuses. When pressure builds up behind your eyes, it can cause pain on one or both sides.

Stye: This is a tender bump on the edge of your eyelid. It happens when an oil gland, eyelash, or hair follicle gets infected or inflamed. You may hear your doctor call it a chalazion or hordeolum.

Eye pain can happen on its own or with other symptoms, like:

• Less vision
• Discharge: It can be clear or thick and colored
• Foreign body sensation — the feeling that something is in the eye, whether real or imagined
• Headache
• Light sensitivity
• Nausea or vomiting
• Red eye or pinkeye
• Tearing
• Your eye is crusted shut with discharge when you wake up.

Other symptoms along with sore eyes can be a clue to what is causing the pain.

See your eye doctor if you have eye pain, especially if you have less vision, headache, or nausea and vomiting.

Eye doctors use a variety of tools to diagnose eye pain:

• A slit-lamp exam uses bright light to look at all the structures of your eye.
• Dilating drops expand your pupil to let the doctor see deep into your eye.
• A tonometer is a tool that measures eye pressure. The doctor uses it to diagnose glaucoma.

Just as causes can vary, so do treatments. They target the specific cause of eye pain.

Conjunctivitis: Antibacterial eyedrops can cure bacterial conjunctivitis. Antihistamines in the form of eyedrops, a pill, or a syrup can improve conjunctivitis from allergies.

Corneal abrasions: These heal on their own with time. Your doctor might prescribe an antibiotic ointment or drops.

Glaucoma: You’ll get eyedrops and maybe pills to reduce pressure. If they don’t work, you may need surgery.

Infected cornea: You may need antiviral or antibacterial eyedrops.

Iritis: The doctor will treat this with steroid, antibiotic, or antiviral eyedrops.

Optic neuritis: It’s treated with corticosteroids.

Styes: Use warm compresses at home for a few days.

The only way to sort out the causes of eye pain and to get the right treatment is to see a doctor. Your vision is precious. Protect it by taking eye pain seriously.

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Optometrist vs Ophthalmologist vs Optician

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

• Ophthalmologist: Medical and Surgical Eye Care
• Optometrist (OD): Vision Care and Eye Care Services
• Optician: Eyeglasses and Contact Lenses
• How to Choose an Eye Doctor

There are two main types of eye doctors: ophthalmologists and optometrists. Confused about which is which and who does what? Here’s a look at how they’re different. Keep in mind that these professionals can work together and that a team approach can be the best option for eye care. 

They went to medical school. After that, they had a 1-year internship and a residency of 3 years. That’s sometimes followed by a 1 to 2 years fellowship. 

They offer complete eye care services:

• Vision services, including eye exams
• Medical eye care — for conditions like glaucoma, iritis, and chemical burns
• Surgical eye care — for trauma, crossed eyes, cataracts, glaucoma, and other problems
• Diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions related to other diseases, like diabetes or arthritis
• Plastic surgery — to raise droopy eyelids or smooth out wrinkles

Optometrists take care of primary health care for the eye. After college, they spent 4 years in a professional program and got a doctor of optometry degree. Some optometrists get additional clinical training or complete a specialty fellowship after optometry school. They focus on regular vision care and they:

• Perform eye exams and vision tests.
• Prescribe and fit eyeglasses and contact lenses
• Monitor medically related eye conditions related to diseases like diabetes 
• Manage and treat conditions like Dry Eye and glaucoma
• Provide low-vision aids and vision therapy

Optometrists and ophthalmologists often work together to take care of you.

Opticians aren’t eye doctors and can’t give eye exams. They get a 1- or 2-year degree, certificate, or diploma. They fill the prescription your eye doctor gives you. They also:

• Check lens prescriptions
• Provide, adjust, and repair glasses, frames, and contact lenses
• Take facial measurements
• Help decide which type of lenses and frames will work best
• Order and check products, including contacts and eyeglass lenses

One type isn’t automatically better than the other. The right choice depends on your needs. The best eye doctor for you should be:

• Recommended by your doctor, friends, or family
• Someone you like and trust

A good rule of thumb would be:

• For primary eye care, you may wish to start with an Optometrist. From there, they may refer you to an Ophthalmologist if needed
• If you think you need eye surgery for cataracts, glaucoma or another eye disease, an ophthalmologist with the appropriate specialty would be a good place to start

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Pain in the eyes – the main causes, methods of diagnosis and treatment

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The eyes are the leading part of the visual analyzer, helping to perceive up to 80% of all information. Since each eye has a dense network of pain receptors, as well as very sensitive nerve endings, all external and internal processes in the body can affect its health.

The meaning of the concept of “pain in the eyes” is rather vague. This is due to the fact that it is difficult to describe single symptoms. Some may call pain burning or discomfort, someone will note “internal” pain, a sensation of a “foreign body”, and it happens that they come to an ophthalmologist with obvious external signs – redness, swelling and increased tearing.

What is the main cause of eye pain? Like symptoms, there can be many diseases: sometimes discomfort is caused by standard overwork, and sometimes it indicates serious internal pathological processes in the eyes, oculomotor nerves, and in some cases even the brain.

You can avoid serious consequences, the easiest way is to consult an ophthalmologist in a timely manner, at the first symptoms.

Major causes of eye pain

We will describe the most common causes that cause eye pain and require medical attention (both preventive and curative). Remember, if the pain is not the result of a gust of wind or an eyelash caught in the eye, this can be a signal to various diseases and conditions that require immediate action.

• Pressing pain in the eye is usually a sign of increased IOP (intraocular pressure).
• Overfatigue of the eye muscles, as well as the muscles of the face.
• Contact with the surface of the eye of foreign bodies, various injuries.
  If you wear contact lenses, an outdated or inappropriate pair may scratch the surface of the eye.
  When a foreign body enters, bacterial infections often enter with it, causing inflammation. In this case, the best way out is to contact an ophthalmologist.
• Infectious diseases.
  If bacteria enter the eye, infections may develop. The important point here is that infection can create not only the external environment, but also internal pathologies.
• Inflammatory process in the mucous membrane of the eye.
  Conjunctivitis is accompanied by cutting constant pain, which becomes worse during blinking. There is a profuse discharge of tears and pus, photophobia.
• Dry eye syndrome.
  In modern conditions, this disease is more common. Now even young people go to the doctor with symptoms of dry eyes, burning and discomfort. The reasons for this are very simple: prolonged work at the computer, rooms with air conditioning, lack of timely prevention.

Important to know!

• Fever, regardless of its cause, can cause eye pain.
• When pain is felt in both eyes at once and is accompanied by fever, joint pain and weakness, you probably have the flu.
• If dust, sand grains and other tiny elements get into the eye, it may seem that their size is huge.
• Pain in the eyes is a faithful companion of migraine.
• Dull pain in the eyes occurs with an increase in blood pressure.

Contact your ophthalmologist immediately if:

• if you have received any, even the most minor eye injury,
• if a foreign body has entered the eye,
• if you experience a sharp deterioration in vision (especially accompanied by headache and weakness),
• if you notice any external changes in the eye area.

All ophthalmologists of our center are professionals in their field. Experience and individual approach help them accurately diagnose any eye disease and provide fast and high-quality treatment.

You can make an appointment with an ophthalmologist right now:

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Eye pain

Blepharitis

Conjunctivitis

Allergy

Foreign body

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04 July

Pain in the eyes – the causes of occurrence, in which diseases it occurs, diagnosis and methods of treatment.

The human organ of vision has a very complex structure.

Damage to any of the parts can cause pain.

Varieties of pain

When describing eye pain, various conditions are mentioned, ranging from discomfort to unbearable pain.

In some cases, a person feels dryness in the eyes, burning, “feeling of sand”, in others – pain, which can be so severe that it causes nausea, dizziness, vomiting, migraine. Sometimes eye pain is accompanied by itching, watery eyes, or purulent discharge.

Possible causes

The most common causes of eye pain include traumatic damage to the structures of the eye (cornea, sclera, vitreous body, lens, retina) and ancillary apparatus (eyelids, conjunctiva).

First of all, foreign bodies can damage the eye (chips in the production of metal processing, sand, small insects). At the same time, in addition to pain, there is a feeling of pain, lacrimation, photophobia, redness of the conjunctiva.

Almost half of the cases of eye injuries are burns from steam, flame, chemicals (mainly acids and alkalis). These injuries are accompanied by the same symptoms as when a foreign body enters. Sometimes there is a narrowing of the pupil and blurred vision. There are frequent cases of damage (scratches) to the cornea with sharp objects (pencil, animal claws). Such an injury is accompanied by severe pain, reflex compression of the eyelids, narrowing of the palpebral fissure, redness. If an infection occurs, a corneal ulcer may develop.

One of the significant causes of pain in the eyes are infectious diseases. The causative agents are more often viruses (herpes virus, adeno- and picornaviruses), but infection with bacteria (in particular, chlamydia) is possible, which leads to conjunctivitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye) and blepharitis (inflammation of the edges of the eyelids). Viral and allergic conjunctivitis is accompanied by intense itching, redness, swelling of the eyelids, and clear discharge from the eyes. With bacterial conjunctivitis, the discharge becomes purulent. Blepharitis gives a similar picture, but eye discharge accumulates in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe eyelashes.

In recent years, the proportion of allergic diseases has increased significantly, the first sign of which is lacrimation, pain and pain in the eyes (allergic conjunctivitis). An autoimmune disease, pemphigoid, or pemphigus, leads to severe complications, which is accompanied by scarring of the conjunctiva, and in severe cases, clouding of the cornea and possible blindness.

Pain in the eyes also occurs when the inflammatory process spreads to the auxiliary apparatus of the organ of vision – the lacrimal sac (dacryocystitis), the lacrimal gland (dacryoadenitis) or the eyelids (blepharitis, chalazion, barley). If the inflammatory process affects the eyeball and its surrounding tissue, scleritis or episcleritis develops. This inflammation can be caused by an autoimmune disease or an infection. With the progression of the inflammatory process, the cornea is affected, which is accompanied by the growth of blood vessels in it and a violation of its transparency (sclerokeratitis).

Inflammation can affect the choroid (uveitis) and the iris (iritis). Iritis can be a manifestation of a systemic disease (Bekhterev’s disease, Reiter’s disease), develop after an injury, an infectious process (tuberculosis, syphilis, toxoplasmosis), or occur due to metabolic disorders (diabetes, hypothyroidism). At an early stage, the disease is asymptomatic. The first manifestation of iritis occurs after hypothermia, stress, with the progression of systemic diseases. Symptoms are increased lacrimation, pain, photophobia, redness of the conjunctiva, hemorrhages in the eye. The pain is aggravated by pressing on the eyeball.

Severe eye pain is caused by optic neuritis, which develops as a result of infectious and inflammatory processes that affect the optic nerve throughout its entire length. Inflammatory diseases of the brain and its membranes (meningitis, encephalitis), paranasal sinuses, dental diseases, acute infections (flu, tonsillitis, erysipelas) and metabolic disorders (diabetes mellitus, gout) can lead to neuritis.

Tumors of the eye and auxiliary apparatus give pain due to tissue compression and impaired blood supply.

A dangerous disease that can cause blindness is angle-closure glaucoma. It is quite rare compared to open-angle, it progresses rapidly and is accompanied by loss of vision.

Against the background of an acute attack, there is a sharp and persistent increase in intraocular pressure, which causes severe pain in the eye area with a return to the temples and the superciliary region. The eyeball becomes hard, there is a sharp decrease in visual function.

Diagnostics and examinations

First of all, the traumatic nature of eye pain should be excluded. As a rule, the diagnosis in these cases is not difficult. Pain in the eye occurs suddenly, its appearance is preceded by either a blow, or a foreign body, or a thermal or chemical lesion.

Wearing contact lenses also sometimes leads to eye injuries.

The appearance of a hemorrhage, a change in the shape and size of the pupil, the presence of blood in the anterior chamber (between the cornea and the iris) should be especially alarming. To diagnose the disease, biomicroscopy of the lens and vitreous body and examination of the fundus (ophthalmic biomicroscopy) are performed. In some cases, studies using CT and MRI are shown.

In the presence of symptoms of dacryocystitis, a West color test is performed (assessment of the patency of the lacrimal ducts), and to clarify the extent of the lesion, probing of the lacrimal canals. The diagnosis of dacryocystitis is also confirmed by a negative result of a passive tear-nasal test.

In inflammatory diseases, the eyes check visual acuity, intraocular pressure, determine the refraction of the eye (the refractive power of the optical system of the eye).

In some cases, computerized perimetry is prescribed to study the structures of the eyeball. Conjunctivitis is detected by slit lamp examination. To confirm the diagnosis, take a scraping from the conjunctiva.

for microscopy

and culture to identify the pathogen. If a viral nature of the disease is suspected, immunofluorescence and enzyme immunoassays are necessary. If other diseases are suspected that can provoke damage to the structures of the eye, blood tests are performed for rheumatoid factor,

sexually transmitted infections,

antinuclear antibodies.

Ultrasound examination reveals morphological changes in the eyes. Diagnosis of optic neuritis and glaucoma requires measurement of intraocular pressure, morphometric examination of the optic nerve head, examination of the fundus. It is also recommended to perform perimetry (examination of the boundaries of vision), since peripheral vision suffers in glaucoma.

Which doctors should I contact?

The appearance of pain in the eyes always requires the consultation of an ophthalmologist.

If the cause of the disease is autoimmune diseases, a therapist, rheumatologist, immunologist can be involved in the treatment.

What should be done if there is pain in the eyes?

Any eye pain requires immediate contact with an optometrist. If the eye injury is caused by a chemical burn, rinse the eye with water and immediately take the patient to a doctor. In case of flame burns, ice should be applied to the closed eye as soon as possible, wrapping it with a dry cloth. If a foreign body enters, do not independently remove small particles that can further damage the cornea. If an immediate visit to the doctor is not possible, it is necessary to drip disinfectant eye drops (0.25% solution of chloramphenicol, 20% solution of sodium sulfacyl) and try to get to the doctor as soon as possible. In this case, the movement of the eyeballs should be limited by applying sterile wipes to both eyes.

If the pain in the eyes radiates to the temple, the occipital region and is accompanied by dizziness and nausea, urgent hospitalization is necessary. These signs may indicate a decompensated form (acute attack) of glaucoma, which requires surgical intervention.

Treatment

In no case should you treat eye diseases yourself.

Only proper diagnosis and specialized care can prevent serious complications.

In inflammatory diseases, in most cases, conservative therapy is carried out using antibacterial drugs or antiviral agents. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins A, C and P. In cases of eye injury, treatment is determined by the depth of the wound channel. For non-penetrating wounds, the use of antiseptic and antibacterial drugs is recommended. With penetrating wounds, treatment is prescribed by an ophthalmologist after a thorough examination of the eye. With corneal erosion, therapy depends on the cause of the disease (dry eye syndrome, allergies, infection). With dacryocystitis and dacryoadenitis, treatment is aimed at stopping the inflammatory process and surgically draining the lacrimal canal.