Eye Pain: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Eye pain can appear as a sensation of burning or itching. Most commonly, it appears as a stabbing, dull or sharp pain in one or both eyes.

Oftentimes, this is caused by the eye's reaction to external stimuli, such as dust or wind. An example of pain based on an external influence is pain in the eye as a result of a draught.

But in the event that it is not possible to unambiguously associate the pain in the eyes with an external cause, it is better to visit a medical professional. The latter can, by a thorough examination, determine the health problem or disease that manifests itself in this way.

Inflammation of the eye and eye pain

Refractive eye diseases are also manifested by pain in both eyes. Examples are myopia (near-sightedness), hyperopia (long-sightedness) or astigmatism. Eye pain is also associated with migraines.

The eyes are also affected by several different types of infections and inflammations, such as corneal or glandular inflammation. Deeper inflammations and infections in the eye, in addition to pain, are also manifested by impaired vision, sometimes even visual loss.

Inflammation of the conjunctiva - conjunctivitis

In the case of pain in both eyes, it can often be a manifestation of conjunctivitis. This means inflammation of the translucent membrane that covers the eye as well as the inside of the eyelids. Inflammation can be both bacterial and viral in origin.

The treatment is a form of antibiotics and should be started as soon as possible, because in the embryo it is possible that only one eye is affected and only later the other one becomes inflamed.

Inflammation of the eyelids and eyelid glands

Inflammation of the eyelash follicles and glands, otherwise known as a stye, also called a hordeolum, is manifested by a painful deposit on the eyelid and swelling of the eyelid and the eye area.

Eyelid pain is first accompanied by itching. Later, the pain is aggravated when blinking. It is also painful to touch, and pressure in the eyelid is also present.

A chalazion, also called a meibomian cyst and meibomian cyst lipogranuloma, and meibomianitis is another example of inflammation of the glands of the eyelids. Inflammation of the eyelid margins is referred to as Blepharitis.

Other abcesses and phlegmons of the eyelids are also present. For treatment in this case, antibiotics are used in different form and substance.

Viral inflammation of the eyelids includes, for example, herpetic inflammation, i.e. shingles.You will find it professionally under the name herpes zooster ophthalmicus. In it, pain in the eye is present.

Orbital pseudotumour

It is also one cause of pain in the eye area. It is a chronic benign inflammatory disease. Its cause is not fully understood. The main manifestation is the presence of a painful mass in the orbital area (orbit).

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a chronic disease of the eye. It is manifested by pain in the affected eye, later on other symptoms are added. Glaucoma is a disease related to intraocular pressure.

There is mechanical damage to the ocular structures in the organ and thus narrowing of the field of vision. The disease progresses slowly, but early diagnosis is a guarantee of good treatment prospects.

Acute glaucoma attacks are common, characterised by sharp pain behind the eye and pain in the orbit. The sudden form of inflammation is called acute glaucoma. 

Injury and foreign bodies

Pain is also caused by trauma to the eye. The person feels pain due to blunt as well as penetrating eye injuries. Penetrating injuries are a serious threat to its visual function.

Foreign bodies are a separate group. These can occur in the area between the eye and the eyelid. They provoke sharp pain. Probably everyone has experienced this kind of pain.

Pain as a result of dry eye

A disease called dry eye syndrome also causes eye pain. This is caused by low blinking frequency, which results in reduced moisturisation.

Reduced blinking frequency is also accompanied by reduced tear production or poor tear quality, which contributes equally to the syndrome. Tears contain water, oil and mucus. They have both a lubricating and a protective function.

This disease is also typical of people with an office job and often look at a monitor. The solution is usually the administration of special drops and more frequent eye rest.

Inflammation of the optic nerve

A very dangerous inflammatory disease is optic neuritis. In this case, it is possible to feel pain behind the eye and also pain when moving the eye. There may also be a sudden loss of vision on the affected side.

An inflamed nerve in the eye can be healed. However, its early treatment is important, or else there can be permanent consequences and even one-sided blindness.

Inflammation of the trigeminal nerve

One cause of eye pain is inflammation of the trigeminal nerve. This nerve consists of several branches. One of them is the nervus ophtalmicus.  Inflammation and other disorders cause pain in the eye and its surroundings.

Pain due to other causes

Eye pain can also be caused by unrelated diseases, i.e. diseases outside the eyes. A good example is the flu. The latter can cause pain in the eyes themselves, but also eye pain with movement.

Hay fever is also a cause of eye pain, including the area around the eye. For example, multiple sclerosis can cause unilateral blindness as one of the primary symptoms.

Headache and eye pain

A very common accompanying symptom of headache is eye pain. A good example is when visual disturbances and headache are related. For visual disturbances, the head hurts and at the same time the eye pain is associated with it.

Migraine is one of the causes of eye pain. Besides pain, photophobia is also a common manifestation. This is an increased sensitivity to light. As part of migraine, photophobia is common, but it can also occur in brain inflammation.

Eye pain as a result of an allergic reaction

The cause of an allergic reaction can be many. In addition to the typical manifestations of an allergic reaction, there can also be swelling of the eyelids, redness of the eyelids and, of course, pain in the eye area and in the eyes themselves.