Pain in the Corner of Your Eye: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Eye pain has a variety of causes, some of which are potentially serious. You can experience eye pain in several different areas of your eye.

Sometimes, pain may be felt close to the surface of your eye, causing sharp pain or a burning sensation. Other times, it may be experienced in the deeper parts of your eye and may be felt as an aching or throbbing pain.

It’s also possible that you may feel pain that’s localized to the corner of your eye. What could be causing this type of eye pain?

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the possible causes of pain in the corner of your eye, as well as the treatment options, and when you should get medical care.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the potential causes of eye pain that can develop near the corner of your eye.

Tears help to both lubricate and protect the surface of your eye. Once they’ve done their job, tears drain away into tiny holes at the inner corner of your eye. They eventually move into your tear ducts, after which they empty into your nose.

When one of your tear ducts becomes blocked, tears can’t drain properly. A tear duct blockage can occur due to:

• an infection
• age-related changes in older adults
• inflammation from conditions like conjunctivitis
• injury to your nose
• growths in your nose, such as nasal polyps or a tumor
• a congenital blockage, meaning a baby is born with a blocked tear duct

Sometimes, germs accumulate around a blocked tear duct. This can lead to an infection called dacryocystitis. Dacryocystitis is often caused by bacteria, typically Staphylococcus (staph) and Streptococcus (strep) species.

Some symptoms of dacryocystitis include:

• tenderness or pain around the inner corner of your eye
• inflammation and redness at the inner corner of your eye
• excessive tearing
• pus or mucus drainage from your eye
• crusting around your eyelids or eyelashes
• fever

Oral antibiotics can help treat the bacterial infection. You may also be instructed to apply a warm compress or gently massage the affected area. Surgery may be recommended if you have repeated infections.

Blepharitis is an inflammation of your eyelids. Angular blepharitis is a type of blepharitis that affects the corners of your eyelids. It’s often caused by a bacterial infection, typically with the Moraxella species.

Symptoms, which are often worse in the morning, may include:

• eye irritation, which can feel like:
  • grittiness
  • burning
  • stinging
  • something is in your eye
• eye redness
• eyelid swelling
• crusting around your eyelids or eyelashes
• eyelids that are stuck shut upon waking

Since angular blepharitis is often caused by a bacterial infection, your doctor will prescribe a topical or oral antibiotic to treat it. They may also recommend the following:

• applying a warm compress to the affected area several times a day
• gently massaging your eyelids with a clean finger or washcloth
• using artificial tears
• avoiding eye makeup until your symptoms have eased

Pinguecula and pterygium are two benign (noncancerous) types of growths that occur on your eye’s conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is the clear tissue that covers the white part of your eye.

It’s believed that these growths are caused by exposure to things like sunlight, wind, and dust or sand. They often start at the inner corner of your eye, closest to your nose. However, they can grow at the outer corner of your eye as well.

Pinguecula and pterygium each have different characteristics:

• Pinguecula. A pinguecula is yellowish in color. While often asymptomatic, a pinguecula can sometimes become inflamed and cause symptoms.
• Pterygium. A pterygium is made up of fleshy tissue and may also contain blood vessels. It often begins as a pinguecula. It can sometimes grow large enough to cover part of your cornea, which can affect your vision.

In addition to the characteristics described above, you may notice the following if you have a pinguecula or pterygium:

• discomfort in the affected area of your eye, which can include feelings of:
  • dryness
  • itching
  • burning
  • grittiness
  • something being stuck in your eye
• redness and swelling in the affected area
• blurry vision

Pinguecula and pterygium often don’t need treatment unless they cause significant discomfort or affect your vision. Some potential treatment options include:

• artificial tears
• steroid eye drops
• surgical removal of large pterygiums

A stye is a painful bump that affects your eyelid. It’s caused by a bacterial infection, typically by Staphylococcus (staph) species.

Styes can affect any part of your eyelid, including the area close to the corner of your eye. There are two different types of styes:

• External. An external stye happens on the exterior of your upper or lower eyelid. It’s localized at the base of your eyelashes and is often due to an infected hair follicle. It looks like a pimple or pustule.
• Internal. An internal stye occurs on the inside of your upper or lower eyelid. This type of stye can develop when bacteria infect oil-producing glands in this area.

Symptoms of a stye can include:

• a visible, painful red bump along the edge of your eyelid that often has a pus-filled center
• a feeling of burning or tenderness in the affected area
• swelling of the eyelid
• excess tearing
• a gritty sensation or feeling like something is in your eye
• light sensitivity

Styes often go away on their own after about a week. Your doctor will recommend that you apply a warm compress to the affected area several times a day to help with recovery.

Antibiotics may be prescribed if the infection begins to spread. Styes that are large or don’t go away with medications or home remedies may need to be surgically drained.

Your eye has natural defenses, like tears and eyelashes, that help keep foreign bodies out. However, it’s still possible that a foreign body may get into your eye.

This may happen due to natural environmental conditions, but can also occur due to workplace conditions or an accident. Some examples of foreign bodies include:

• eyelashes
• sand
• dust
• dirt
• metal
• glass

Foreign bodies can affect any part of your eye, including around the corner of your eye. If you have a foreign body in your eye, you may experience:

• pain or irritation of the affected area
• feeling like something is in your eye
• eye redness
• blurry vision
• sensitivity to light

You may be able to remove a small foreign body by flushing your eye with warm, clean water. However, foreign bodies that can’t be removed with irrigation, are large, or are embedded in the eye require immediate medical attention.

Make an appointment with your eye doctor if you have pain in the corner of your eye that doesn’t go away or gets worse after a few days of at-home care.

Some symptoms can indicate a more serious problem that requires prompt treatment. Seek emergency medical attention for pain in the corner of your eye that:

• is severe
• comes on after an injury, including after getting a foreign object or a chemical in your eye
• happens along with sensitivity to light
• occurs with eye drainage, such as pus or blood
• is accompanied by severe swelling in or around your eye
• happens with changes in vision, such as blurry vision or vision loss
• makes it difficult to open or move your eye

Pain that’s localized to the corner of your eye can have several potential causes. Possible causes can include tear duct infections, blepharitis, and styes.

Some of the conditions that affect the corner of your eye may be treated at home using warm compresses, gentle massage, or artificial tears. However, other conditions may need to be treated with antibiotics or steroid eye drops.

If the pain in the corner of your eye doesn’t go away after a few days of at-home care, visit your eye doctor to see what may be causing it. Seek prompt medical attention if you experience an eye injury, severe pain, or vision changes.

Pain in the Corner of Your Eye: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Eye pain has a variety of causes, some of which are potentially serious. You can experience eye pain in several different areas of your eye.

Sometimes, pain may be felt close to the surface of your eye, causing sharp pain or a burning sensation. Other times, it may be experienced in the deeper parts of your eye and may be felt as an aching or throbbing pain.

It’s also possible that you may feel pain that’s localized to the corner of your eye. What could be causing this type of eye pain?

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the possible causes of pain in the corner of your eye, as well as the treatment options, and when you should get medical care.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the potential causes of eye pain that can develop near the corner of your eye.

Tears help to both lubricate and protect the surface of your eye. Once they’ve done their job, tears drain away into tiny holes at the inner corner of your eye. They eventually move into your tear ducts, after which they empty into your nose.

When one of your tear ducts becomes blocked, tears can’t drain properly. A tear duct blockage can occur due to:

• an infection
• age-related changes in older adults
• inflammation from conditions like conjunctivitis
• injury to your nose
• growths in your nose, such as nasal polyps or a tumor
• a congenital blockage, meaning a baby is born with a blocked tear duct

Sometimes, germs accumulate around a blocked tear duct. This can lead to an infection called dacryocystitis. Dacryocystitis is often caused by bacteria, typically Staphylococcus (staph) and Streptococcus (strep) species.

Some symptoms of dacryocystitis include:

• tenderness or pain around the inner corner of your eye
• inflammation and redness at the inner corner of your eye
• excessive tearing
• pus or mucus drainage from your eye
• crusting around your eyelids or eyelashes
• fever

Oral antibiotics can help treat the bacterial infection. You may also be instructed to apply a warm compress or gently massage the affected area. Surgery may be recommended if you have repeated infections.

Blepharitis is an inflammation of your eyelids. Angular blepharitis is a type of blepharitis that affects the corners of your eyelids. It’s often caused by a bacterial infection, typically with the Moraxella species.

Symptoms, which are often worse in the morning, may include:

• eye irritation, which can feel like:
  • grittiness
  • burning
  • stinging
  • something is in your eye
• eye redness
• eyelid swelling
• crusting around your eyelids or eyelashes
• eyelids that are stuck shut upon waking

Since angular blepharitis is often caused by a bacterial infection, your doctor will prescribe a topical or oral antibiotic to treat it. They may also recommend the following:

• applying a warm compress to the affected area several times a day
• gently massaging your eyelids with a clean finger or washcloth
• using artificial tears
• avoiding eye makeup until your symptoms have eased

Pinguecula and pterygium are two benign (noncancerous) types of growths that occur on your eye’s conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is the clear tissue that covers the white part of your eye.

It’s believed that these growths are caused by exposure to things like sunlight, wind, and dust or sand. They often start at the inner corner of your eye, closest to your nose. However, they can grow at the outer corner of your eye as well.

Pinguecula and pterygium each have different characteristics:

• Pinguecula. A pinguecula is yellowish in color. While often asymptomatic, a pinguecula can sometimes become inflamed and cause symptoms.
• Pterygium. A pterygium is made up of fleshy tissue and may also contain blood vessels. It often begins as a pinguecula. It can sometimes grow large enough to cover part of your cornea, which can affect your vision.

In addition to the characteristics described above, you may notice the following if you have a pinguecula or pterygium:

• discomfort in the affected area of your eye, which can include feelings of:
  • dryness
  • itching
  • burning
  • grittiness
  • something being stuck in your eye
• redness and swelling in the affected area
• blurry vision

Pinguecula and pterygium often don’t need treatment unless they cause significant discomfort or affect your vision. Some potential treatment options include:

• artificial tears
• steroid eye drops
• surgical removal of large pterygiums

A stye is a painful bump that affects your eyelid. It’s caused by a bacterial infection, typically by Staphylococcus (staph) species.

Styes can affect any part of your eyelid, including the area close to the corner of your eye. There are two different types of styes:

• External. An external stye happens on the exterior of your upper or lower eyelid. It’s localized at the base of your eyelashes and is often due to an infected hair follicle. It looks like a pimple or pustule.
• Internal. An internal stye occurs on the inside of your upper or lower eyelid. This type of stye can develop when bacteria infect oil-producing glands in this area.

Symptoms of a stye can include:

• a visible, painful red bump along the edge of your eyelid that often has a pus-filled center
• a feeling of burning or tenderness in the affected area
• swelling of the eyelid
• excess tearing
• a gritty sensation or feeling like something is in your eye
• light sensitivity

Styes often go away on their own after about a week. Your doctor will recommend that you apply a warm compress to the affected area several times a day to help with recovery.

Antibiotics may be prescribed if the infection begins to spread. Styes that are large or don’t go away with medications or home remedies may need to be surgically drained.

Your eye has natural defenses, like tears and eyelashes, that help keep foreign bodies out. However, it’s still possible that a foreign body may get into your eye.

This may happen due to natural environmental conditions, but can also occur due to workplace conditions or an accident. Some examples of foreign bodies include:

• eyelashes
• sand
• dust
• dirt
• metal
• glass

Foreign bodies can affect any part of your eye, including around the corner of your eye. If you have a foreign body in your eye, you may experience:

• pain or irritation of the affected area
• feeling like something is in your eye
• eye redness
• blurry vision
• sensitivity to light

You may be able to remove a small foreign body by flushing your eye with warm, clean water. However, foreign bodies that can’t be removed with irrigation, are large, or are embedded in the eye require immediate medical attention.

Make an appointment with your eye doctor if you have pain in the corner of your eye that doesn’t go away or gets worse after a few days of at-home care.

Some symptoms can indicate a more serious problem that requires prompt treatment. Seek emergency medical attention for pain in the corner of your eye that:

• is severe
• comes on after an injury, including after getting a foreign object or a chemical in your eye
• happens along with sensitivity to light
• occurs with eye drainage, such as pus or blood
• is accompanied by severe swelling in or around your eye
• happens with changes in vision, such as blurry vision or vision loss
• makes it difficult to open or move your eye

Pain that’s localized to the corner of your eye can have several potential causes. Possible causes can include tear duct infections, blepharitis, and styes.

Some of the conditions that affect the corner of your eye may be treated at home using warm compresses, gentle massage, or artificial tears. However, other conditions may need to be treated with antibiotics or steroid eye drops.

If the pain in the corner of your eye doesn’t go away after a few days of at-home care, visit your eye doctor to see what may be causing it. Seek prompt medical attention if you experience an eye injury, severe pain, or vision changes.

Pressing pain in the eyes – causes and possible consequences

Pressing pain in the eyes – causes and possible consequences . Especially, the pain manifests itself fully when trying to look up, to the sides, as well as when opening and closing the eyes. Because of this pain, the patient may begin to feel like he is experiencing a headache, which is felt especially in the frontal and temporal lobes, and sometimes a feeling of pressure is accompanied by fever, double vision, photophobia, and a general decrease in the quality of vision. What to do with pressing pain in the eyes and is frequent pain a sign of a disease?

A common cause of pressing pain is an increase in blood pressure. In this case, our eyes act as a kind of indicator, taking on part of the problem. With an increase in pressure, a person feels that the eye hurts “from the inside”, often the symptom is accompanied by dizziness and diffuse vision. When the pressure is brought back to normal, as a rule, the eye pain goes away.

Do not exclude infectious diseases of the eye, brain and general intoxication of the body. The feeling of pressure here is due to the fact that the optic nerve and eye muscles can be included in the inflammatory process. Speaking of intoxication, one should not think only about the ingress of poison into the body. Intoxication is a broad concept that can also occur in the presence of viruses and fungi, for example, with influenza and SARS. Inflammation of the sinuses with a runny nose or sinusitis will also directly affect the condition of the eyes. With complicated forms of infectious diseases, pus can penetrate even into the orbit.

We often underestimate our psycho-emotional state, so we neglect to take care of it and the ecology of the inner world. However, the presence of depression periods or a psychological disorder can cause pain in the eyes, especially if, as a result of nervous tension, we cry and constantly rub our eyes. The enormous stress experienced by the eyes can cause endless migraines and visual impairment.

Injuries to the eyeball, head, and facial bone of the skull can cause pain in the eye sockets. The reason is the direct mechanical effect on a rather delicate and receptive organ. If you have a concussion or have recently experienced one, eye pain is a result of this interaction and, as a result, a side effect.

Our body is an integral system in which everything is interconnected. Thus, pain in osteochondrosis of the cervical part can be felt, including in the eyes. However, the symptoms of osteochondrosis are often accompanied by headache and spinal curvature.

Of course, eye diseases cannot be ruled out. In this case, the symptom of pressure is inherent in a person in the presence or ripening of barley and in the development of conjunctivitis. Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye is a common cause of pain when blinking and at rest, accompanied by a feeling of dryness and a desire to rub the eyes. Often, with conjunctivitis, due to infection, the eyes turn red, watery.

Improperly fitted lenses or eyeglasses can also aggravate eye conditions and discomfort. The tendency to pain is easy to track, watch yourself when wearing glasses, if it is in them that you experience discomfort, then the product may have been selected without taking into account your characteristics and it needs to be changed.

What to do if you experience such an unpleasant feeling? Firstly, try to visit a doctor in the near future in order to definitely exclude a bad scenario for the development of diseases and accurately determine exactly your symptoms. At home, you can take painkillers from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If, in addition to the feeling of pressure in the eyes, there are signs of infectious diseases, influenza or SARS, you need to take a sick leave and work hard on strengthening immunity and treatment, not forgetting to call a therapist at home. If the cause of the pain in the eyes was the ingress of a foreign object, in no case should you try to solve the problem yourself and pull it out. This is fraught with infection in the eye, since our hands are not sterile clean, and often such manipulations are carried out in far from suitable conditions. In addition, there is a huge risk of driving a mote or a fragment deep into the eye, from where it can be pulled out only by surgical methods. The only thing you can do is rinse your eyes with clean water. If this does not work, and something foreign is still felt in the eyes, you should go to the emergency room.

What tests should be done to rule out diseases? While at the doctor, it is necessary to measure the eye pressure. The acceptable range is from 9 to 22 mmHg. In case of deviation from the norm, additional studies may be prescribed. It is equally important to conduct a CT scan and MRI to rule out a tumor and inflammation of the brain. It is necessary to sign up for an ultrasound of the vessels of the brain to determine the presence of blood clots in the vessels and the overall speed of blood circulation.

Eye pain – 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).
• Overwork 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 use 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.
  When bacteria enters 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 becoming 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!

• An increase in temperature, regardless of its cause, can provoke 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.

Seek immediate medical attention if:

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