Why Does My Eye Hurt?
Causes of Eye Pain and Treatment Options
Medically reviewed by Johnstone M. Kim, MD
Eye pain can be caused by dry eye syndrome, conjunctivitis, an infection, and other mild or serious conditions. Headaches, sinus infections, and optic nerve problems can also make your eyes hurt.
The kind of pain you're feeling (burning, sharp, aching, etc.), its location, and any additional symptoms you have (sensitivity to light, headache, etc.) can help your healthcare provider determine the cause.
For example, pain in the corner of your eye can be due to tear duct infections, blepharitis, and styes. Sharp eye pain can indicate a corneal abrasion, scleritis, or uveitis. Pressure deep inside the eye may be narrow-angle glaucoma or optic neuritis.
Eye pain that does not resolve with at-home treatment should be evaluated by an eye doctor or other healthcare provider. If you have vision loss, eye trauma, or pain lasting several hours, seek medical care right away.
This article discusses eye pain. It explores the common and uncommon reasons your eyes hurt and how they are diagnosed and treated.
Verywell / Alexandra Gordon
Anatomy of the Eye
Your eye sits in a bony socket called the orbit and held in place by six extraocular muscles that move the eye up, down, to the sides, and in circles. The eye contains several complex parts, including:
Sclera: the white part
Iris: the part that makes up your eye color
Pupil: the black spot in the middle
Cornea: the clear outer layer of the eye
Conjunctiva: the clear membrane covering the surface of the eye and inner eyelid
Eyelid: a fold of skin that closes over the eye
Lacrimal gland: sits above the eye and produces tears
Meibomian glands: sit below the eye and produce an oil that lubricates the eye
Tear ducts: a drainage system that in the corner of the eye that channels tears into the nasal cavity
Optic nerve: nerve fibers that transmit electrical impulses to the brain and allow us to see
Conditions that affects any of these parts can cause eye pain.
Related: Anatomy of the Eye
Common Causes
Eye pain can be distracting or debilitating. Most of the common causes can be cured or managed well. Below are some of the more common causes.
Stye
A stye, or a hordeolum, is a red, tender bump that looks like a pimple. It sits on or inside the eyelid. Styes often develop when an oil gland on the eyelid is infected.
The main symptoms are:
Pain that gets worse over a few days
Tearing
Eyelid swelling
To treat a stye at home, apply a warm, wet compress to the eye for 10 minutes, three to four times a day. The compress may coax the stye into draining on its own.
Do not squeeze or pop the stye because that can spread the infection or seriously damage your eye. A stye that does not resolve on its own or becomes infected may need antibiotic eyedrops or oral antibiotics.
Corneal Abrasion
A corneal abrasion is a scratch on the surface of the cornea. Corneal abrasions may occur on their own or as a part of a larger injury or trauma. A torn contact lens could scratch your cornea. So could getting something (a foreign body) in your eye.
The eye pain from a corneal abrasion can be severe. You might not be able to read, drive, go to work, or even sleep. Besides pain, people often experience light sensitivity.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) eye drops are often prescribed to soothe eye pain from a corneal abrasion. These drops are usually not prescribed for long periods because they can cause cornea problems.
Dry Eye Syndrome
Sometimes, your eye might not make enough tears. It's also possible for your tears to evaporate more quickly than normal.
When the surface of the eye dries out, your eyes can get irritated. You might feel a gritty, burning, or sharp sensation. In addition to discomfort, you may notice red eyes and light sensitivity.
Dry eyes can often be soothed using artificial tears. You can find them in liquid, gel, or ointment formulas. When mildly "chilled" or placed in the refrigerator for an hour, they can be extra-soothing.
Severely dry eyes may need a prescription medicine such as topical cyclosporine or lifitegrast.
Other strategies for treating dry eyes at home include:
Run a humidifier in your bedroom or home office.
Minimize exposure to air conditioning or heating.
Wear glasses with shields on the sides if you're going to be in windy or dry places.
Related: How Dry Eye Is Treated
Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva. That's a thin membrane that lines the outside of your eyeball and the inside of your eyelid. Allergies and infections are the most common culprits.
Conjunctivitis causes burning pain or soreness in the eye.
Symptoms can vary, depending on the cause:
When it is caused by a virus or an allergy, there's often a watery fluid discharge.
If there's a sticky, pus-filled discharge, the problem is probably caused by bacteria.
Allergic conjunctivitis causes itchy eyes and puffy eyelids.
To relieve the discomfort of conjunctivitis, apply a cool, wet compress on your eye for 5 to 10 minutes several times a day.
For allergic conjunctivitis, try over-the-counter or prescription allergy eye drops to relieve the redness, itchiness, and puffiness.
Antibiotic eye drops are often prescribed for treating bacterial conjunctivitis.
Blepharitis
Blepharitis is inflammation of the eyelash follicles. It's usually caused by too much bacteria at the base of the eyelashes.
Common symptoms include:
Swollen, itchy, and irritated eyelids
Problems with your eyelashes
Light sensitivity
Dandruff-like flakes on the eyelids or eyelashes
A feeling that there's something in your eye
Symptoms tend to be worse when you first wake up in the morning.
Blepharitis is often treated with self-care focused on eyelid hygiene to manage flares and symptoms.
To keep eyelids clean and loosen crusts, gently press a clean, warm compress over your eyes for 10 minutes, two to four times daily.
If symptoms do not show improvement after a few days, you may need prescription eye drops, topical treatments, or oral antibiotics.
Learn More: How Blepharitis Is Treated
Tear Duct Infection
Dacryocystitis is an infection in the tear drainage system. It often occurs when bacteria clog up the tear duct. The infection causes pain, redness, and inflammation near the inner corner of the eye.
Extra tears, pus, or other types of discharge might drain from your eye. In more severe cases, you might also have a fever.
A tear duct infection may be treated with antibiotic eye drops and oral antibiotics.
Sinusitis
Sinusitis (inflammation in one or more of your sinuses) can cause a sinus headache and eye pain. This can be due to allergies or a sinus infection.
Sinuses are cavities behind your nose, between your eyes, and beneath your cheekbones and lower forehead.
If you have a sinus infection, you might also notice:
Pain or pressure behind the eyeballs
Nasal discharge
Ear pain
Tooth pain
The pain and pressure of sinusitis can often be relieved with over-the-counter pain relievers, like acetaminophen and ibuprofen. When caused by allergies, oral antihistamines or steroid nasal sprays can help ease the pain.
If a bacterial infection causes sinusitis, your healthcare provider will prescribe oral antibiotics to clear up the infection.
Less Common Causes
Some of the less common causes of eye pain are serious and require urgent or emergency care.
Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma
Most cases of glaucoma don't cause symptoms. However, with acute angle-closure glaucoma, the iris suddenly blocks the area where the cornea and iris meet. That means fluid can't drain out of the eyeball. If the drainage angle is blocked, pressure builds up rapidly within the eye. It causes sudden, intense eye pain and swelling.
Other symptoms include eye redness, blurred vision, and seeing halos and rainbows around lights. Acute angle-closure glaucoma is a medical emergency that can cause vision loss. To save your vision, it's vital that you get treatment right away.
Glaucoma is treated with eye drops that lower the pressure in your eye. For acute angle-closure glaucoma, eye drops and an oral or intravenous (IV) medication called acetazolamide will reduce the pressure immediately.
Keratitis
Keratitis is inflammation of the cornea. Keratitis is painful. It can also cause redness and blurry vision.
Bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic infections can cause keratitis. The condition can also occur if you scratch your eye or wear contacts for too long.
If you think you may have keratitis, don't wait to get medical care. Untreated keratitis can lead to blindness.
Bacterial keratitis is treated with antibacterial eye drops.
Scleritis
Scleritis is inflammation of the sclera, the white part of your eye. Often, the underlying cause is an autoimmune disease, where the body attacks its own tissues.
The pain of scleritis is severe. It feels as though it's coming from deep inside your eye.
Other symptoms of this condition may include:
Swelling
Redness of the sclera
Blurry vision
Partial or complete loss of vision
Tearing
Extreme sensitivity to light
Hyphema
A hyphema is when blood collects between the cornea and the iris at the front of the eye. The blood covers all or part of the iris and pupil. It can also cause blurry vision and light sensitivity.
A hyphema is not the same as a subconjunctival hemorrhage (a broken blood vessel). With a broken blood vessel, blood appears in the white of the eye but is not painful.
Learn More: Why Do I Have Blood in My Eye?
Optic Neuritis
Optic neuritis is swelling of the optic nerve. That's the nerve that sends messages from the eye to the brain. Although optic neuritis can occur from several causes, it is most commonly linked to multiple sclerosis.
Symptoms include:
Pain when you move your eyes
Blurry vision
Loss of color vision (dyschromatopsia)
Blind spot (scotoma)
Pain occurs with eye movement because the optic nerve is like a cable that connects the eye to the brain. As the eye moves back and forth, the inflamed nerve does, too.
Optic neuritis is treated with high-dose corticosteroids, given as a pill or a shot.
Anterior Uveitis
Anterior uveitis is an inflammation of the fluid-filled space at the front of the eye, which can come from an infection, autoimmune disease, or eye injury.
The symptoms are:
Aching eye pain
Intense light sensitivity
Blurry vision
Anterior uveitis is treated with prescription steroid eye drops or oral steroids.
Orbital Cellulitis
Orbital cellulitis is a serious infection of the muscles and fat that surround the eye.
This condition can cause the following symptoms:
Pain when you move your eye
Eyelid swelling
Eyelid drooping
Fever
Orbital cellulitis is more common in children. It often develops from a bacterial sinus infection.
It's vital to get prompt medical attention for these symptoms. Orbital cellulitis is treated with intravenous antibiotics. Left untreated, it can lead to vision loss. The infection can also spread to the brain.
Related: What Is Cellulitis?
Ocular Migraines
Ocular migraines can cause eye pain, flashing lights, and temporary vision loss lasting up to one hour.
It's not unusual to have more than one type of migraine. Ocular migraines are often caused by reduced blood flow or spasms of blood vessels in the retina or behind the eye.
See your healthcare provider if you experience a loss of vision, even if you are used to having migraines.
Cluster Headache
A cluster headache is a rare, extremely painful headache disorder more common in men.
The condition causes:
Sharp, burning, or piercing pain near or above one eye or temple
Redness or tearing of the eye
A cluster headache causes intense pain in or around the eye socket. It lasts 15 minutes to an hour and recurs daily for several weeks.
Treatments can include high-flow oxygen supplementation and prescription medications.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Eye pain has many causes—some are simple, but it can be a sign of a serious problem. It's important to see your healthcare provider if your eye pain continues for more than a couple of hours.
Takeaway
If you are experiencing eye pain with vision loss or if you've had trauma to the eye, do not wait—seek medical care immediately.
Diagnosis
To evaluate your eye pain, your healthcare provider will examine your eye and talk with you about your medical history. You might also need imaging and blood tests.
Medical History
A medical history is the first step in finding the cause of your eye pain.
Be prepared to answer the following:
Has your vision changed?
Have you had any trauma to your eye?
Are you having other symptoms like a headache, light sensitivity, fever, or discharge from your nose or eyes?
Do you wear contact lenses? Describe your wearing schedule, overnight wear habits, and hygiene regimen.
Do you feel like there is an object in your eye?
Do you have any other health conditions?
Eye Exam
Your healthcare provider will examine your eye. You may need one or more tests, depending on your medical history and preliminary eye exam.
Some examples of eye tests include:
Visual acuity test, which checks your distance and up-close vision
Fluorescein staining, which uses dye to detect corneal abrasions
Dilated eye exam, using eye drops to dilate (widen) your pupils to check for retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration
Tonometry eye pressure test, which checks for glaucoma
Retinal exam for uveitis and optic neuritis
Slit lamp exam for uveitis and scleritis
Imaging
Imaging tests might be needed. For example, a computed tomography (CT) scan can show orbital cellulitis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect optic neuritis.
Certain imaging tests can be used to test for other health conditions, such as anterior uveitis or scleritis.
Blood Tests
You may need blood cultures and a complete blood count (CBC) to help diagnose orbital cellulitis.
Blood tests are usually not needed to diagnose the cause of eye pain unless your doctor thinks you may have a widespread illness.
Self-Care Strategies
Taking good care of your eyes may help to prevent conditions that can make your eyes hurt. cause eye pain. Thing you can do to keep your eyes healthy include:
Practice Good Hygiene
To prevent eye infections, it is important to practice good hygiene. To keep your eyes healthy:
Always wash your hands before touching your eyes, applying eye makeup, or putting in contact lenses.
Clean contact lenses as instructed, and do not use them for longer than advised.
Do not share eye drops or eye makeup with anyone.
Do not touch the tip of an eye dropper to your eye.
Wash off eye makeup using a clean cloth every night before bed.
Make Screen Time Safer
To prevent eye strain, eye fatigue, and dry eye, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends the following when using screens:
Adjust the brightness and contrast of your screen and dim the lighting near your screen to reduce eye strain.
If your eyes feel dry, lubricate them using artificial tears.
Keep your computer screen about arm's length away from your eyes.
Take frequent screen breaks using the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away from your screen and look at an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
Wear your eyeglasses instead of contact lenses when working on the computer for long periods.
Protect Your Eyes
Some causes of eye pain can be prevented by taking action to protect your eyes. Ways to protect your eyes include:
Do not look directly at the sun, including during an eclipse.
Open carbonated drinks and bottles of champagne carefully and aim away from your eyes.
Turn nozzles away from your face before spraying.
Use guards on all power equipment.
Wash your hands after using household chemicals and before touching your eyes.
Wear protective eyewear if you are doing anything that risks eye injury, such as playing sports, using machinery, handling hazardous materials or fireworks, and shooting.
Wear sunglasses that block UVA and UVB rays when outside, even on cloudy days.
Summary
Eye pain can be caused. by injury, infection, or another health condition. Dryness or styes may not need immediate medical care. But if you're also experiencing pressure, swelling, drainage, fever, or vision problems, talk to a healthcare provider sooner rather than later. Some eye conditions can cause permanent blindness if they're left untreated.
Eye pain can often be resolved with warm, wet compresses or over-the-counter eye drops for allergies or pain relief. In some cases, prescription eye drops, corticosteroids, or antibiotics might be needed. And you may need surgery for the treatment of certain conditions.
When it comes to your eyes, protection is important. Wear protective eye gear and keep everything that comes near your eyes clean and clear of bacteria.
Read Next: Top 6 Reasons Your Eyes Get Irritated
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
