Top Reasons for Eye Pain
Saturday, April 15th, 2017, 2:25 amIt’s not uncommon to have sore eyes at some stage of your life. Eye pain can happen on its own, but sometimes eye pain is paired with one of the following:
- Blurry vision
- Gritty eye or the feeling like something is in the eye
- Sensitivity to light
- Headache
- Excessive tearing
- Red eye
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Discharge that builds up when you sleep, causing a crust
Usually, eye pain is temporary and isn’t cause for concern. But in other cases, it could be an indication of a serious underlying condition.
The most common eye problems that cause eye pain include:
- Corneal abrasion. This is when there’s a scratch on the part of your eye, usually caused by rubbing it too hard.
- Corneal infection. Leaving your contacts in overnight or wearing dirty lenses can make your cornea inflamed or infected. Corneal infection can also be caused by a bacterial or viral infection.
- Pink eye (conjunctivitis.) When your conjunctiva becomes inflamed, blood vessels in your eye swell, making part of your eye look red and feeling itchy and goopy.
- Foreign matter. Even a speck of dirt of sand can cause eye pain. Rinsing it out with artificial tears or water should solve it.
- Sinusitis. A sinus infection can cause eye pain because pressure builds up behind your eyes.
- Glaucoma. Fluid buildup in your eye puts pressure on the optic nerve, and if left untreated, it could lead to vision loss. If you have eye pain coupled with nausea, vomiting or a headache, seek medical attention right away.
- Stye. This happens when an eyelash, oil gland or hair follicle get inflamed or infected, causing a tender bump on the edge of your eyelid.
Is your eye pain cause for concern?
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Category: Eye Care