Mysterious headaches often send worried sufferers to the internet in search of answers. While some online diagnoses are infamous for convincing people they have rare and fatal diseases, here’s one that may give you a bit of relief: your eyes might be causing your headaches.
Many eye conditions can cause head pain as a symptom of a different issue. Before you worry that you have a tumor with a five-syllable name, pay a visit to your eye doctor. You might find the prognosis is bright – and that you’re looking sharp with a new pair of glasses.
Eye Conditions that May Cause Headaches
Many people do not realize they have an eye condition. Eye conditions may have no obvious symptoms or warning signs that point to eye or vision troubles. Some of them display themselves obliquely, such as through headaches.
These hidden conditions are why yearly eye exams are important. A trained eyecare professional can discover hidden issues that may present themselves as enigmatic, chronic headaches you can’t pin a cause on.
Headaches may stem from eye conditions such as:
- Angle-Closure Glaucoma – A condition caused when the iris blocks the drainage angle in your eye.
- Astigmatism – Most eyes are spheres, like a ping-pong ball. People with astigmatism have eyes shaped more like eggs, which can cause vision irregularities.
- Eye Allergies – If your eyes become irritated, they can lead to headaches.
- Nearsightedness or Farsightedness – Difficulty focusing can cause headaches if it is not properly corrected.
- Giant Cell Arteritis – This condition is a swelling of the arteries in your upper body, arms, and neck. Since these arteries also help supply your eyes, the swelling can lead to vision issues and headaches.
- Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension – A raising of the pressure inside your head, which can manifest as both vision troubles and headaches.
- Optic Neuritis – Inflammation of the optic nerve. The symptoms of this condition include pain in the eye socket, or pain when you move your eyes.
- Photokeratitis – Essentially a sunburn on your eyes, photokeratitis is damage caused to your eye by UV rays. Snowblindness is a kind of photokeratitis.
Turn to Valley Eyecare Center for Your Eye Health Needs
The best way to find the cause of worrying symptoms is to see a health professional, not a search engine. Contact Valley Eyecare Center online, or call us at (602) 955-2700 to make an appointment.
