Most people know that Eye Doctor’s can help manage headaches. In this article I will discuss how we help patient’s manage headaches. This will shed light on how your eyes can be causing headaches. So, let’s dive into the conversation about eyes causing headaches.

What Eye Doctors look for

I have had quite a few patients coming in over the last few days talking about headaches and I thought it would be a good topic to discuss. I am going to walk you through a little bit of my thought process when it comes to headaches. There are typically four ways patients describe headache pain. They are sharp, dull/ache, throbbing, and pressure. If the pain is sharp it is probably due to nerve issues. If it is dull/ache then it is probably due to muscular issues. The pain can also be throbbing. If it is then it is probably due to cardiovascular issues. Lastly, if the pain is pressure it is probably due to a sinus issue. 

Worsening pain from headaches

Once I have that idea in my mind I like to ask about activities that make the pain worse. Is the pain worse with reading, bending over, bright lights, eye movement, heat, physical activity? If it is a dull pain that gets worse with reading then reading glasses will potentially help eliminate some of the headaches. If it feels like pressure behind the eyes then it could be something as simple as taking some good allergy medications or it could be something significantly more serious like pseudotumour cerebri also sometimes called idiopathic intracranial hypertension. The throbbing cardiovascular type could be from dehydration, so think about drinking some more water. If it a sharp nerve type pain that gets worse with eye movement it could be multiple sclerosis or that you need to talk with a Chiropractor.

If the headache is a new kind or worsening definitely talk to a medical professional about the headache. After all, your eyes aren’t the only thing that could be causing the headaches.

Dull throbbing headache

Sometimes the headaches can be a dull throb between the eyes on the front part of the head. Typically, these are related to either the glasses prescription needing to be updated or too much time on electronic devices. For more information about how to help with too much screen time check out this blog post. https://onevisioneyecare.com/2020/05/computer-vision-syndrome/

As a chronic migraine sufferer myself, I am always learning as much as I can about headaches to try and help me with mine.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great day! If you like this article make sure to check out some of our other articles and like our Facebook page to get updates on new articles.https://www.facebook.com/OneVisionEyecare/.