Amelia Grant

I am Amelia Grant, journalist, and blogger. I think that information is a great force that is able to change people’s lives for the better. That is why I feel a strong intention to share useful and important things about health self-care, wellness and other advice that may be helpful for people. Being an enthusiast of a healthy lifestyle that keeps improving my life, I wish the same for everyone.

6 Causes of Eye Pain Which You Should Know

Eye pain is a problem which shouldn’t be ignored, otherwise, it may lead to dangerous consequences such as impaired vision, blindness, and even body infections. You should be attentive to your eyes and immediately visit an ophthalmologist if you notice these symptoms: 

 

  • Severe eye pain caused by any injury.
  • Pain accompanied by blurred vision and/or hypersensitivity to light, as well as visual distortions such as rainbow circles around light sources. These may be symptoms of glaucoma. This is an irreversible disease which causes atrophy of the optic nerve.
  • In addition to pain, you experience nausea and vomiting.
  • You recently had an ophthalmologic operation.
  • The pain has suddenly occurred, and previously your ophthalmologist assumed that you had a risk of glaucoma.
  • It’s difficult for you to move the injured eye.

Why Do Eyes Ache? 

1. Eyestrain 

Eyestrain is one of the most common causes of eye pain. Perhaps you look into the screen of a laptop or smartphone for a long time. The eye muscles are constantly in the same tense position. They accumulate lactic acid which leads to pain.

2. Cornea Dryness 

The cornea is the outer transparent membrane of the eye. There are no blood vessels in the cornea, tears give it nutrients and oxygen. 

 

While the cornea is washed with a sufficient amount of tear fluid, everything is normal. But if there isn’t enough moisture, it starts to suffer and this leads to eye pain. Doctors call this condition dry eye syndrome. Various reasons can cause it such as:

 

  • Very dry air. As a result, the tear fluid evaporates, not having time to give what is needed.
  • You forget to blink. This often happens when working with gadgets.
  • Medications. If you are taking medications such as antidepressants or oral contraceptives, it may lead to eye dryness because of their ability to change tear composition.
  • Contact lenses. If you wear contact lenses every day, you will most likely have eye dryness.
  • Chronic diseases. You may have a chronic disease that affects the composition of the tear fluid. These include diabetes, menopause, blepharitis (chronic inflammation of the eyelids).

3. Cornea burn (photokeratitis)

Burning pain may appear after spending a long time on a sunny beach. Unpleasant sensations will quickly pass by themselves. To avoid photokeratitis, you should simply wear dark glasses.

4. Eye infections

Depending on the inflamed eye area, eye infections are divided into:

 

  • blepharitis - inflammation of the eyelid
  • keratitis - inflammation of the cornea
  • conjunctivitis - inflammation of the conjunctiva (protein)
  • iritis - inflammation of the iris
  • endophthalmitis is an inflammation of the inside of the eye.

 

These infections may cause viruses, bacteria, and fungus in the body. Which is why you should immediately visit an ophthalmologist to prevent unpleasant and dangerous consequences. 

5. Optic neuritis

This condition is characterized by inflammation of the optic nerve, which passes the information from the eyeball directly to the brain. Optic neuritis is one of the most common causes of sudden visual impairment in young and middle-aged people. It often accompanies the development of multiple sclerosis. The pain caused by optic neuritis increases with eye movements. In addition, it’s also accompanied by a decreased vision and degradation of color vision.

6. Abrasions and scratches on the cornea

You may easily get dust, dirt, and tiny extraneous particles into your eyes in windy weather. 

They leave abrasions, scratches on the cornea or stick to it for a while, causing pain which increases when blinking.