What is eye pain?
You may describe eye pain as sharp, aching or throbbing. It may happen in one eye or both eyes. You might also describe your eye pain in terms of where it hurts, like pain behind your eye.
Eye pain is more serious than the simple irritation you feel when you have a piece of dirt or an eyelash in your eye. Eye pain is more than the feeling of eyestrain that you might feel after staring at a computer all day. In those cases, your eye feels better when the lash or dirt is out of your eye or when you’re able to rest your eyes by closing them or using a cool compress.
The more serious type of eye pain is intense, lasts longer and can happen along with other symptoms. Sometimes eye pain can be a sign of an underlying health problem or injury. You should talk to a healthcare provider as soon as you can if you have a new eye pain or eye pain that keeps getting worse.
Who is more likely to experience eye pain?
Eye pain due to injuries can happen to anyone, particularly if you don’t wear protective eyewear during activities that put your eyes at risk.
You may be more prone to eye pain if you wear contact lenses or if you have certain conditions, like allergies or sinus issues.
What parts of your eye might have eye pain?
Eye pain can refer to pain in almost any part of your eyes, including:
- Your eyelid.
- Your conjunctiva, a membrane that protects your eye.
- Your sclera, the white of your eye.
- Your cornea, the clear dome on your eye that helps with focus.
- Your eye socket (orbit), the cavity that holds your eye in your skull.
Being able to explain where your eye hurts can help your healthcare provider determine the cause.
FAQs
Some things that can cause eye pain are:
- Infections.
- Inflammation.
- Contact lens problems.
- Dry eye.
- Acute glaucoma.
- Sinus problems.
- Neuropathy.
- Eyestrain.
Lifestyle and home remedies
- Adjust the lighting. When watching television, it may be easier on your eyes if you keep the room softly lit. ...
- Take breaks. ...
- Limit screen time. ...
- Use artificial tears. ...
- Improve the air quality of your space. ...
- Choose the right eyewear for you.
Any vision change accompanied by eye pain should prompt you to seek immediate medical attention. Painful vision changes can be caused by an eye injury, a foreign body, acute glaucoma (a dangerous increase in eye pressure), an infection, or inflammation of structures within the eye, including the iris and optic nerve.
Which medicine is good for eye pain? ›
BENOXINATE; FLUORESCEIN is an eye drop that has both a numbing medicine and a colored dye. It is used before certain eye procedures. DEXAMETHASONE treats eye pain and inflammation after a procedure. It may also be used to treat allergy symptoms, such as red, itchy eyes.
What disease hurts your eyes? ›
Some of the less severe causes include dry eye, infections, and allergies. Some of the more serious causes include glaucoma, aneurysms, and cancer. A person should consult a doctor if they experience severe or persistent eye pain, especially if the pain co-occurs with other worrying symptoms.
Why am I getting stabbing pains in my eye? ›
Sharp eye pain can stem from many causes, such as debris in the eye and glaucoma. Without treatment, some of these issues can lead to vision loss and other serious complications. Intense or sharp pain often results from debris entering the eye. This type of pain can also occur with migraine or cluster headaches.
When is eye pain an emergency? ›
Seek emergency medical care
Call 911 or your local emergency number for eye pain if: It is unusually severe or accompanied by a headache, fever or unusual sensitivity to light. Your vision changes suddenly. You also experience nausea or vomiting.
What eye problems need immediate attention? ›
Eye emergencies include cuts, scratches, objects in the eye, burns, chemical exposure, and blunt injuries to the eye or eyelid. Certain eye infections and other medical conditions, such as blood clots or glaucoma, may also need medical care right away.
When should I get help for eye pain? ›
However, if you have eye pain along with any of the following symptoms, you should get medical help quickly: Vomiting. Seeing halos around lights. Feeling pressure.
What eye drops are best for eye pain? ›
They include:
- NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs): These eye drops work by reducing a substance in the body that increases the feeling of pain and causes swelling. ...
- Corticosteroids: Like NSAIDs, corticosteroids reduce substances in the body that cause swelling and inflammation.
List of Ophthalmic anti-inflammatory agents
| Drug Name | Avg. Rating | Reviews |
|---|
| BromSite (Pro) Generic name: bromfenac | 8.0 | 5 reviews |
| Nevanac (Pro) Generic name: nepafenac | 7.0 | 2 reviews |
| Acuvail (Pro) Generic name: ketorolac | 9.0 | 1 review |
| Acular LS (Pro) Generic name: ketorolac | 9.0 | 1 review |
11 more rowsDIY for Eye Pain
- Warm Compress: – Soak a clean cloth in warm water. ...
- Cold Compress: – Use a cold compress or ice pack wrapped in a thin cloth. ...
- Blinking Exercises: – Sit comfortably and blink rapidly for 20 seconds. ...
- Hydration: ...
- Artificial Tears: ...
- Cucumber Slices: ...
- Palming Technique: ...
- Aloe Vera Gel Massage:
Angle-Closure Glaucoma
The eye pain can be severe, and may cause headache, and even nausea or vomiting. In an acute angle-closure glaucoma attack, the eye pressure rises rapidly, causing pain, and also causes the cornea to become cloudy, thus patients also notice their vision has decreased.
What is a dull ache in the eye? ›
Orbital pain is described as a deep, dull ache behind or in the eye. This pain is often caused by diseases of the eye. Optic neuritis is an inflammation of the optic nerve. The optic nerve connects to the back of the eye.
What is an eye stroke? ›
What is an Eye Stroke? An eye stroke, or anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, is a dangerous and potentially debilitating condition that occurs from a lack of sufficient blood flow to the tissues located in the front part of the optic nerve.
What causes eye muscles to ache? ›
Common causes of eyestrain include: Looking at digital device screens. Reading without pausing to rest your eyes. Driving long distances and doing other activities involving focusing for a long time.
