5 Causes of a Headache Behind the Eyes, According to Doctors

Dealing with any kind of headache is a serious pain, but a headache behind your eyes is a unique form of torture. After all, you rely pretty heavily on your eyesight to help you get around, so when every glance and blink causes new waves of pain, it can completely derail your day.

Unfortunately, eyeball-pulsing headaches happen, and there’s not one set cause for them, Medhat Mikhael, MD, pain management specialist and medical director of the nonoperative program at the Spine Health Center at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, tells SELF. “There are several reasons why one might have a headache behind the eyes,” he says.

Knowing the source of your eye headache can help you pinpoint the best treatment for it—and get some relief, stat. With that in mind, these are some of the most common reasons for feeling a headache behind the eyes and what to do when one threatens to ruin your day.

1. You have a tension headache.

A tension headache is the most common type of headache, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM). You can get a tension headache for a slew of different reasons, including stress or muscle tension in your neck, scalp, or head. Tension headaches typically make you feel like there’s a band that’s squeezing your head, causing pain in your forehead or on both sides and the back of your head, according to the Mayo Clinic.

But that band of pain can extend to behind your eyes too, Dr. Mikhail says. “Muscle tightness causes the headache,¹ and the muscles around the eyes can be affected,” he says. “That can cause pain around the eye and behind the eye.”

If you’re playing headache detective, keep in mind that tension headaches tend to come on slowly and usually cause mild to moderate pain, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In general, they feel like a “dull ache,” Amit Sachdev, MD, the director of the division of neuromuscular medicine at Michigan State University, tells SELF.

Treatment for tension headaches usually involves pain-relieving medications like aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen sodium, or meds that combine a pain reliever like aspirin or acetaminophen with caffeine, per the Mayo Clinic.

Prefer to go the nonmedicated route for relief? Resting, using an ice pack on your head, or taking a long, hot shower can help. If tension headaches are a regular thing for you, talk to your doctor about maintenance medication that might help. Some people may find that certain stretches and exercises, practiced under the guidance of a physical therapist, can also help relieve the muscle tension that contributes to tension headaches, per the Mayo Clinic.

2. It’s actually a migraine attack.

If you’ve had a migraine attack in the past, you usually know what you’re up against. But if you haven’t or you’re not sure, it never hurts to recap: A migraine attack can cause an intense and severe headache that usually results in a pounding or throbbing pain on one side of your head, according to the NLM. Migraine pain “can cluster in many locations” including around the eyes, Dr. Sachdev says. “Why the eyes are very commonly affected is unknown.”

Eyelid Eye Socket Infections And Inflammation Houston Treatment Options

The Berkeley Eye Center of Houston oculoplastics clinic focuses on problems that affect the appearance and function of the eyes, eyelids and areas surrounding the eyes. Our oculoplastic surgeon has extensive experience performing a wide range of cosmetic and reconstructive oculoplastic procedures as well as treating the diseases, infections and other conditions that can affect health of the structures surrounding the eye, such as the eye socket, eyelids and tear ducts.

Infections of the eyelids and orbital structures can develop into a serious problem if left untreated. These types of infections are usually caused by bacteria but may also occur after exposure to a virus or fungus. One or both eyes may become infected.

Symptoms That You Might Have an Eyelid or Orbital Infection

Inflammation of the eye and surrounding tissue can be a major indication of an eye infection. Other symptoms of an eye infection include:

• Red eyes
• Itchy eyes
• Pain in and around the eye
• Discharge
• Fever
• Swelling and redness of the eyelids and soft tissue around the eye
• Vision difficulties – decreased or double vision
• Problems with eye mobility
• Increased pressure in the eye

You may also experience concurrent sinus problems, such as a runny nose and congestion.

Common Types Of Eye Socket And Eyelid Infections

Orbital Cellulitis

Orbital cellulitis is an infectious condition that affects the tissue within the orbit (eye socket) around the eye. It usually begins as a bacterial sinus infection that spreads to the eye socket. Orbital cellulitis is an emergency condition. Left untreated it can result in blindness and can also spread to other parts of the body such as the brain and spinal cord.

Styes

Styes are small red bumps that form along the edges of the eyelid. They can be caused by a bacterial infection of the eyelash follicle. Styes may result in pain, swelling and tearing of the eye.

Blepharitis

Inflammation of the eyelids that can also affect the eyelashes and oil glands of the eyelids. Infection is one cause of blepharitis.

Treatment options

A thorough examination will be needed to exactly diagnose the cause of the inflammation or infection. The good news: eyelids and orbits often respond well to treatments that can include antibiotics, antihistamines and steroids. Over the counter medications may be recommended to relieve the pain. Serious cases of cellulitis may require surgery to drain fluids from the eye socket and sinuses.

Schedule an Exam at Berkeley Eye Center

If you have been experiencing pain or irritation due to inflammation around or behind the eye, it may be due to an eyelid or orbital infection. Berkeley Eye Center has the knowledge and skills to diagnose the cause of your problem and prescribe the most effective treatment available. Delaying treatment only makes it the condition worse. Call Berkeley Eye Center today to schedule your examination.

Pain in the eyes – causes and treatments

Pain in the eyes is an unpleasant problem that often occurs when pressing or pressing on the eye with fingers. Often such pain occurs against the background of visual fatigue, prolonged work at a computer at close range. Some people experience eye pain when they blink. Do not ignore pressing pains on the eyes: some serious diseases and not only eye diseases can manifest themselves this way.

Causes of eye pain

Pain when pressing on the eyes and when blinking can be a symptom of progressive pathologies or manifested due to increased blood pressure, general overwork of the body, overstrain of the eye muscles.

Possible triggers for eye pain include:

Muscle pain in the eyes can cause pain when a person shifts their visual focus from one object or object to another. The eye reacts painfully to bright flashes of light, sunlight.

Muscle pain can often be the result of eye strain. This often happens after a long work at the computer, phone, reading. Prolonged eye strain is fraught with the occurrence of a spasm of accommodation, which can lead to the development of myopia.

In order to prevent overstrain of the eye muscles, one should try to give rest to the eyes: take visual breaks during the working day.

Infections can be caused by various pathogens, from bacteria, viruses to fungi. There are different types of infectious diseases: conjunctivitis, keratitis, blepharitis, uveitis and other infections.

Inflammatory processes occurring in the tissues can cause pain in the eyes. It can be painful for a person to look, blink, touch the eyelids.

Intraocular pressure surges are a dangerous symptom that requires an immediate response – it must be reduced to prevent the development of serious eye diseases, such as glaucoma.

Increased intraocular pressure can also give a symptom such as pain in the eyes when pressed, blinking. In this case, such a symptom should be taken very seriously. It is worth contacting an ophthalmologist and doing an eye examination to check if glaucoma is developing.

In addition to pain in the eyes when blinking, glaucoma is also manifested by other symptoms: blurred vision, reduced visibility at dusk, headaches, blurred vision. Closely monitor the state of health and at the first sign of a decrease in vision, contact an ophthalmologist.

Dry eye syndrome is a condition where the process of moisturizing the cornea is disturbed. This is due to insufficient production of tear fluid, as a result of which the surface of the cornea is insufficiently moistened, which leads to dryness of the outer shell of the eye.

In addition to feeling dry, burning, dry eye syndrome can provoke pain in the eyeball, especially when moving the eyes, blinking.

Dry eye syndrome affects office workers who spend long hours in front of a monitor. In addition, dry, unhumidified indoor air and running air conditioners can also lead to the development of dry eye syndrome.

Diagnosis and prevention of eye pain when pressing and blinking

If the patient feels pain, pressure, any discomfort in the eyes when blinking, pressing on the eyelids, moving the eyes, you should consult an ophthalmologist for advice.

The doctor will examine the patient and, if necessary, order a complete diagnostic eye examination. As a rule, vision diagnostics includes examination with a slit lamp, external tissue assessment, objective examinations using precise diagnostic equipment: determination of refraction, measurement of intraocular pressure, assessment of the internal structures of the eye – the lens, retina, vitreous body, examination of the fundus. If necessary, an ophthalmologist can prescribe the patient an optical coherence tomography of the eye, an ultrasound of the eye. Objective diagnostic data will allow the doctor to prescribe an effective effective treatment that will eliminate pain in the eyes.

Prevention primarily includes regular follow-up with an ophthalmologist. Experts advise checking eyesight at least once a year in order to detect eye pathologies in the early stages of development.

Pain in the eyeballs

Pain in the eyes can be due to a variety of reasons, and its nature is closely related to the localization. So, pain can be felt in the muscles of the eyes, mucous membranes, eyelids, and even in the eyeball. Typically, pain is a sign of inflammation. Actually, inflammation of the eyeball will be discussed below. Why is it accompanied by pain, what is it connected with and what necessary actions should be taken to eliminate it?

Causes of pain in the eyes

Muscle pain

Such pain is usually felt during movement of the eyeball, but can also be a reaction to some irritant, such as a flashlight. Muscle pain is pulling and is very similar to fatigue, which, in most cases, it is a manifestation of.

Muscle weakness, coupled with pain, usually appear after prolonged high stress on the eyes. As an example, we can take long work at a computer with texts or programs that require great accuracy and prolonged eye strain, or prolonged driving (muscle pain, in particular, is constantly observed in truckers when a person stays in unrelenting concentration behind the wheel for a long time).

Eliminate muscle pain quite easily. To do this, there are simple exercises based on intentional strong tension of the eye muscles, followed by their complete relaxation. Eye exercises are the best way to rest overworked eye muscles from prolonged eye strain. There are also special drops that relieve pain and inflammation. They are freely sold in the pharmacy chain, but before using them, you need to consult an ophthalmologist.

Eye infections and inflammation

The second most common cause of pain in the eyes is considered to be infectious inflammation. Infection of the eyeball is caused by a variety of pathogens that can penetrate from the outside or through the internal system of the body. Inflammations caused by them are usually subdivided according to the localization of the process – conjunctivitis (conjunctiva), keratitis (cornea), uveitis (vascular membrane), iritis (iris). Very often, infectious inflammation of the eyeball causes the herpes virus, as well as chronic forms of tonsillitis and sinusitis.

In addition, the eyeball can become inflamed due to another systemic disease, becoming its consequence or complication. For example, inflammation of the trigeminal nerve may be accompanied by inflammation of the eyeball and severe pain in it.

Intraocular pressure

Not to be confused with arterial pressure, although an increase in blood pressure can also cause pain in the eye area. High eye pressure is commonly called glaucoma and it is often manifested by bouts of severe pain in the eye block and the area around the eyes. In addition to pain, signs of glaucoma include:

• Deterioration of vision, the appearance of blurred vision.
• Headaches, concentrated in the dorsal and temporal regions of paroxysmal nature.
• General weakness, feeling of nausea, vomiting.
• Pupil dilation, with no reaction to light (these symptoms can only be determined by a doctor, so it is very important to consult a specialist in time).
• The eyeball is hardened and with light pressure there are sharp sharp pains.

Dry eye syndrome

This syndrome determines the state of the mucous membranes of the eye and the eyeball as a whole. There are several causes of dry eye syndrome, but the symptom complex is always the same. There is necessarily a mild pain in the eyes, when moving the eyes there is discomfort, there is a constant feeling of dryness.

As a rule, the syndrome of “dry eye” is observed in people who spend a long time at computer monitors or work at close range under artificial lighting. Often, photo industry workers suffer from it when they have to strain their eyes in various adverse environmental conditions. This disease is also familiar to office workers, who have long-term visual work at the computer associated with being in a room with artificial lighting and conditioned dry air.

In this case, to relieve symptoms of inflammation, it is better to use special eye drops that lubricate and envelop the eye with a solution close in composition to natural human tears. The solution helps to maintain the intraocular microflora, moisturizes the mucous membrane. Such drops are sold in a pharmacy without a prescription and, on the recommendation of an ophthalmologist, they will have to be selected independently.

Vessels

The eyeball is permeated through with the smallest vessels, which act as transport highways for the continuous supply of oxygen and vital substances to the eye. If there are problems with the eye vessels, unpleasant pain occurs. Often, such pains are aching in nature and last for a long time. This condition is well known to people suffering from diabetes and those who have chronic vascular disease. To get rid of the disease, it is necessary to carry out a set of measures that the doctor should prescribe after a complete medical examination and diagnostic procedures for examining the vascular system of the eyes.

Mechanical effects

Inflammation of the eyeball very often causes its mechanical damage – trauma. In general, the eyes are one of the least protected and sensitive organs. Any damage to them, as a result of ingress of foreign objects or mechanical impact, is very dangerous. They can cause serious impairment of eye function, up to deterioration and complete loss of vision. Therefore, in case of injury to the eye or penetration of foreign objects, it is urgent to seek qualified help.

Very often, chemical burns cause injury to the eye. When due to improper use of household chemicals, the eyeball may be damaged. In case of contact with chemicals in the eye, as the first emergency, it is necessary to wash the eye with a large amount of cold running water. After that, you need to immediately go to the ophthalmologist. In turn, to prevent household chemical burns, it is better to use special glasses when working with chemicals.

Treatment of pain in the eyes

For proper treatment of inflammation of the eyeball, it is necessary to find out the cause of the pain. This can be done in only one way – to visit an ophthalmologist and undergo a diagnostic examination.

As a rule, for infectious diseases of the eye, specialists prescribe antibiotic solutions (Levomycetin, Albucid, Penicillin).

In case of glaucoma, miotics, sympathomimetics, prostaglandins (Pilocarpine, Epinephrine, Xalatan, etc.) are necessarily used. An attack of angle-closure glaucoma requires emergency hospitalization of the patient in a specialized hospital.

Mechanical eye injuries require the use of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs in drops and ointments.

To relieve the symptoms of inflammation of the eyeball, folk remedies are often used – herbal tinctures and decoctions.