THE MANY CAUSES OF PAINFUL EYES
Sore or painful eyes need to be carefully evaluated in order to determine the reason for the problem. Sometimes the cause is obvious, such as when there has been an injury to the eye causing a corneal abrasion. A history of Laser corrective surgery or other types of eye surgery often have associated eye pain (usually mild) immediately following the procedure. Other times there are patterns, such as sore eyes in relation to extended periods of reading or computer work – in this case your optometrist would look for problems with your eye teaming, focusing, or the accuracy of your eyeglass/contact lens correction. Dry eye disease is a major cause of eye pain that tends to worsen after prolonged near work.
Here are some other conditions that should be considered if you have new or recent onset of eye pain:
Iritis
this is an inflammation of the iris, and can occur in association with conditions like arthritis. It often occurs with no underlying cause at all. · Optic Neuritis – when the optic nerve becomes inflamed, it can often cause pain in one eye that worsens with eye movement. Multiple Sclerosis, infections and many other conditions can lead to optic neuritis.
Migraine/Cluster Headaches
several conditions related to this can cause eye pain ranging from mild to severe.
Sinus Problems
The sinus cavities surround our eyes, therefore chronic infections, inflammations and even sinus congestion can often lead to painful eyes.
Eye infections
Viral, bacterial or fungal infections often have associated eye pain.
Blepharitis/Styes
An inflammation of the eyelids related to one of these conditions certainly have the potential to contribute to painful eyes.
Endophthalmitis
A severely painful eye following eye surgery (such as cataract) needs to be evaluated for this rare, sight-threatening infection inside the eye.
Serious vision-threatening problems are not always accompanied by painful eyes, and the presence of pain does not necessarily indicate a serious issue. Always see your optometrist whenever you experience any unusual symptoms associated with your eyes or your vision, and don’t forget to see us annually for a comprehensive eye exam and ocular health check.
If you are having a problem with your eyes after-hours, you can always access our emergency online triage system. Once you fill out the form it will immediately be viewed by our optometrist-on-call and a consult will be arranged (virtual or in-office depending on the condition).
