Reasons For Feeling Pain And Pressure Behind The Eye

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Pain and pressure behind the eye can be troubling if you don't know the reason why. Sometimes, the pain is accompanied by a partial loss of vision. Not all of the reasons for eye pain have to do with damage or disease. While some of the causes may be serious and require immediate medical attention, most can be treated without any vision loss. Here are four reasons why you might feel pain from the back of your eye.

Sinus issues:

For many people, sinus pressure feels like something is pressing against the back of the eye. Sinus problems can cause parts of the face, including around the eyes, to swell. Severe sinus infections can put so much pressure on your eyes that it could affect your ability to move them. Certain types of sinus infections can spread to the eye socket and cause permanent damage.

Migraines:

Some migraines can cause a feeling of pressure behind the eye. These pains can be worse than sinus pains and feel suddenly sharp, like something is stabbing into your eye. In addition to the pain and pressure, some people experience vision problems including temporary blind spots, auras or temporary blindness. Usually, this affects only the eye on the side of the head where the migraine is most prominent.

Glaucoma:

Glaucoma is a name for several eye diseases that may cause blindness if not treated. Most of the time, glaucoma shows few symptoms until it becomes severe. A sign of one kind of glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, is severe pain behind the eye. The more common type of glaucoma, open-angle glaucoma, usually does not have any noticeable signs of pain or pressure because the pressure builds up gradually.

Optic neuritis:

A rare, but serious, eye condition that can cause pain and vision problems is optic neuritis. This happens when the optic nerve becomes swollen and inflamed. People who have optic neuritis will have vision problems and pain when moving their eye. Those who have multiple sclerosis are more likely to have a chronic form of this condition. It can also be caused by bacterial or viral infections.

Any time you feel pain in your eye to the point where it is affecting the movement of your eye or your vision, see an eye doctor immediately. While many conditions that cause pain in the eye area are minor and temporary, some, like optic neuritis and glaucoma, are serious and can cause permanent damage. Be sure to have an eye examination every year which also includes a glaucoma test. Let your eye doctor know of any pain or changes in vision since your last visit. 

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14 December 2015