What to do if your eye hurts when you close it

The eyes often hurt due to overstrain and fatigue, but unpleasant sensations also indicate inflammatory and infectious processes. Medicines and folk remedies will help cope with the discomfort; in the absence of timely therapy, complete or partial loss of vision develops.

Find out the true cause to eliminate eye discomfort

Causes of pressure on the eyes from the inside

There is a large list of conditions and diseases that cause a feeling of pressure on the eyes and head:

• Severe fatigue, overwork. If a person works for many hours at a computer, often uses television, or works in activities that involve increased strain on the eyes, a pressing sensation may occur from within. This is the result of overstrain of the extraocular muscles. If the condition develops over a long period of time, visual acuity may decrease.
• Glaucoma is increased intraocular pressure, which is formed due to impaired outflow of intraocular fluid. The chamber of the eyes gradually expands, compressing the lens, vitreous body, retina, and optic nerve. This causes constant pain inside the eyes.
• Hypertension. High blood pressure contributes to overstrain of the eye microcirculation vessels. As a result, a pressing feeling appears, midges and color circles form before the eyes. The pain can be localized not only in the eyeballs, but also in the back of the head.
• Increased intracranial pressure. A person with this diagnosis constantly has a headache, a pressing feeling occurs, and midges appear before the eyes. Periodically, pulsation appears in the eyeballs, heaviness in the head and eyelids.
• Cervical osteochondrosis. As a result of displacement of the vertebrae due to incorrect posture and other reasons, compression of blood vessels and nerves occurs. Insufficient blood flows to the brain and eyeballs.
• Migraine. It forms gradually. A person feels an aura, that is, everything around begins to flicker, a sharp pain appears in the head and eyes. The person sees nothing in front of him. He is irritated by sharp smells and sounds. Bright light causes acute headache.
• Anemia. Due to the disease, insufficient oxygen reaches the brain and eyeballs. The result is a bursting pain with pressure on the eyes and temples.
• Inflammation of the sinuses. Clear or purulent exudate accumulates in them and begins to compress the surrounding tissues. This leads to swelling and inflammation, pain in the forehead and eyes.
• Viral and infectious diseases. These include influenza, adenovirus, ARVI, sore throat, pharyngitis and other diseases. Pain appears due to intoxication from waste products of microorganisms that spread through the blood. The painful sensations go away on their own when there is no pathogen left in the person’s blood.
• Inflammation of the meninges. This condition is called meningitis. A characteristic clinical symptomatology develops when a person has a severe headache, so he throws it back to relieve the symptoms. The disease is accompanied by an increase in body temperature to 40 degrees and above, nausea, and vomiting.
• Mechanical damage to the head or eyes. A constant aching pain develops. It intensifies with sudden movements.
• Hypothermia. If the body temperature drops throughout the entire body, this causes vasospasm. Not only the eyes hurt, but also the forehead and the back of the head.
• Incorrect selection of corrective optics (glasses, lenses). If optics with fewer or more diopters are selected, the eyes will be overloaded. As a result, painful sensations will appear.

The list of pathologies in which the eyes hurt from the inside is extensive. Therefore, the doctor will need a long time to carry out all the diagnostic tests to make a diagnosis.

What to do if you have a headache when you move your eyes?

Headache when moving the eyes and at rest (whether it is pain in the eyes when reading or working on a computer) is an extremely unpleasant condition for a person. Therefore, it is urgent to take a painkiller from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The next step in helping a person is to see a doctor. If there are signs of a general infectious disease (flu, acute respiratory infections), then a general practitioner will be able to provide adequate medical care. In other cases, consultation with an ophthalmologist and often a neurologist is necessary. If the cause of pain in the eye is a foreign object or injury, in no case should you rub your eyes or try to reach such an object directly with your fingers. It is necessary to rinse your eyes generously with clean water. If this does not produce results, seek medical help immediately.

Risk group

The risk group includes patients suffering from the following conditions and diseases:

• high degree of myopia and hyperopia;
• astigmatism;
• glaucoma, cataracts, damage to the retina and optic nerve;
• cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart failure, arrhythmia);
• neurological disorders (inflammation of nerve tissue);
• malignant and benign neoplasms;
• postoperative condition.

These patients should be periodically examined by various specialist doctors in order to promptly identify abnormalities and correct them.

Possible diseases

The main diseases that cause eye pain:

Diagnostics

If there is a painful sensation inside the eyes, you can initially consult a therapist. After a general examination, he will refer you to specialist doctors. Most often they are referred to an ophthalmologist, neurologist, or cardiologist. They carry out diagnostic tests in several stages:

• Anamnesis collection. This is data obtained from the words of the patient or his close relatives. Based on them, the doctor can identify an abnormality in order to prescribe further examination.
• General inspection. Patients with pressing pain inside the eyes may experience redness of the cornea and skin, slight hemorrhages in the eyes, distorted posture and other visible disorders.
• Lab tests. They include a general clinical analysis of urine and blood, blood biochemistry. If there is a focus of inflammation in the body, ESR and leukocyte levels will be increased. This may indicate a viral or infectious cause of the disease.
• Assessment of vision quality. For this purpose, diagnostic tables are used, on which letters or symbols are indicated. The more of them the patient sees, the better the quality of his vision.
• Measurement of intraocular, arterial, cranial pressure.
• Laboratory test to detect a virus or infection. If the patient has only ARVI symptoms, the analysis is not performed. Symptoms resolve on their own. If the doctor suspects a sore throat, he prescribes a bacterial test to determine the pathogen. To detect meningitis, cerebrospinal fluid is taken for analysis, in which a bacterial or viral pathogen is determined.
• Ultrasound of the eyeballs. The structural parameters of the eyeballs are assessed.
• Fundus examination. In ophthalmological and cardiovascular pathologies, vascular microcirculation disorders of the eyes are often detected. The patient is first instilled with Atropine or similar drugs. They dilate the pupil for a while, the doctor can fully examine the structure of the fundus.
• Angiography of blood vessels of the eye microcirculation. It is carried out after assessing the quality of the fundus, if there is a suspicion of blockage of the lumen of microcirculation vessels and their damage.

Based on the data obtained, the doctor can begin therapy.

Nature of pain

Often, overstrain of the muscles of the visual apparatus causes pain in the eyes. This happens when a person focuses his gaze on one object for a long time.

Infections can cause pain: when viruses or bacterial agents enter the body, an intensive release of harmful substances begins, which can also enter the muscle fibers of the visual apparatus. Accordingly, weakness and pain occur in the eyes when they move.

Pain in the organs of vision can also occur due to the incorrect selection of corrective means - lenses or glasses. If this is not the reason, then it is better to consult an ophthalmologist.

The following pathological processes must be excluded:

1. 1. High intraocular pressure.
2. 2. Infections.
3. 3. Intoxication of the body.
4. 4. Injuries to the eyeball.
5. 5. Diseases of the eye appendages.

These conditions can be very dangerous for your eyesight.

Increased intraocular pressure

Pressure is one of the causes of pain inside the visual organ. This condition is called transistor and is accompanied by various brain pathologies, for example, migraine syndrome.

With high blood pressure, it becomes painful for a person to raise his eyes upward. Also, with such a diagnosis, retinal detachment may occur.

Eye pain as a symptom of pathology

The most common causes of painful sensations in the eyes:

1. 1. Conjunctivitis. There is discomfort and pain in the eyes when blinking and at rest.
2. 2. Intoxication during influenza or acute respiratory infection. Painful sensations inside the eyes when they move can signal that the inflammatory process has spread to the muscles and nerves of the visual apparatus.
3. 3. Encephalitis and meningitis.
4. 4. Inflammatory process in the paranasal sinus with sinusitis or sinusitis. As a rule, with such diseases, it becomes painful for the patient to move his eyes, and an increase in body temperature is observed. The pathology is dangerous because if complications develop, pus can penetrate into the orbit.
5. 5. Injuries to the eyeball, facial part of the skull, head. The reason is direct mechanical impact or the entry of foreign objects into the visual apparatus. After a concussion, pain appears in the forehead and temples when turning the eyes to the right or left.
6. 5. Diseases of the eye appendages.

In addition to those listed, there are other, less common pathologies that lead to inflammation of the lacrimal gland.

Diseases of the visual apparatus

Pain can be caused by pathological processes occurring in the visual apparatus itself:

1. 1. Neuritis is a disease of the nerves that are responsible for the movement of the visual muscles. The pathology is quite rare. The first symptoms are swelling and redness of the eyes, mucus discharge. Diagnosis of the disease is difficult and almost impossible at home.
2. 2. Myositis is an inflammation of the muscles of the visual apparatus, which provide a coordinated process of contraction and relaxation of paired and unpaired muscle fibers. This pathology is caused by excessive load on the organ of vision. The condition is accompanied by severe pain if you move your eyes in a circle or look at one point for a long time.
3. 3. Sinusitis is a disease that occurs as a result of inflammation of the paranasal sinuses and appears mainly after a cold. In the presence of such a pathology, it becomes difficult for the patient to rotate the eyeballs.
4. 4. An infection that penetrates into the muscle tissue of the visual apparatus during a cold can also lead to pain when moving the eye. There is discomfort and pressure in the muscles when looking up (this often happens if there is inflammation in the lower arches of the orbit).

Treatment

The choice of therapy depends on the diagnosis made by the doctor. A comprehensive treatment is used, aimed at eliminating the root cause and negative symptoms manifested throughout the body.

Antibacterial drugs

Antibiotics are prescribed when the nature of the infection is proven. A drug that was identified by bacteriological culture is prescribed. Therapy is carried out for 7-10 days. After this time, the drug is stopped to prevent bacteria from developing resistance.

Antiviral agents

They use systemic drugs that eliminate the effect of the virus on the entire body.

Their use can be long-term; viruses do not develop resistance to the active substance. Painkillers, antipyretics, anti-inflammatory and other medications are added to therapy to help eliminate temporary symptoms of illness.

Painkillers

Doctors recommend taking these medications only in extreme cases, for no more than 7 days. After this time has passed, addiction to the active substance is possible. Doctors advise using Cetrin, Nise, Nimesil and other drugs.

Medicines that lower blood pressure

If the patient has hypertension, it is recommended to use such drugs regularly. If the course is interrupted, it will cause a sharp increase in blood pressure, which may result in a hypertensive crisis. If the effect of the drug stops and your blood pressure rises, you should consult your doctor about replacing the drug.

Iron supplements

Prescribed for anemia. The products increase the amount of iron in the blood, which is necessary to transport oxygen through tissues and organs. If the patient does not have a disease of the hematopoietic system, as the iron level increases, the number of red blood cells increases. Therefore, anemia is eliminated.

Drops that reduce intraocular pressure

The drugs are based on increasing the outflow of secreted intraocular fluid. They must be used in long courses. The disadvantage of the drug is the possibility of addiction. If it occurs, you cannot replace the drug yourself.

Massage, exercise therapy

If a person has a curvature of the spine, it is recommended to periodically carry out a massage course consisting of 10-14 sessions. Additionally, it is recommended to engage in vigorous physical activity, such as yoga, swimming, running, which tone the muscles.

Replacing optics

Pain inside the eyes due to improperly fitted contact lenses and glasses is a common occurrence. To eliminate painful sensations, it is necessary to undergo diagnostic tests using tables and autorefractometry. After this, the doctor will prescribe the correct optics.

Treatment and prevention

Any, even minor, but long-term eye disease needs correction and proper treatment by a specialist. Doctors usually prescribe special medications for any disease. These are eye drops, as well as tablets, used primarily to get rid of other diseases in the body or intraocular infections.

Treatment and prevention of eye pain

Often patients are not prohibited from additionally using folk remedies. If eye pathologies appear or simply severe fatigue of muscles and nerves, it is recommended to carry out regular rinsing with solutions based on chamomile, plantain or seaweed.

To improve the health of the eyes or restore them after pathologies and injuries, clay treatment is used. This is a simple method consisting of applying clay applications. When the time comes to wash off these elements, use tea leaves.

The main method of preventing eye diseases is to follow the rules of hygiene, as well as the economical use of your own vision. You should give your eyes rest, perform special gymnastics if necessary, and also be careful when playing outdoor games or while working.

You should not allow your eyes to become overtired by constantly spending time reading a book with small, illegible text or at the computer. If the visual organs are strained as a result of a certain type of activity, it is necessary to organize periodic rest for the eyes.

Do eye exercises once an hour

Complications

If left untreated, the following complications may occur:

• hypertensive crisis;
• intraocular, intracerebral hemorrhages;
• decreased visual acuity, loss of function of one eye, blindness;
• chronic diseases of the respiratory tract;
• cerebral circulatory disorders;
• death with delayed or untreated meningitis.

To avoid complications, it is necessary to conduct diagnostic tests in a timely manner and begin treatment.

Treatment for eye movement disorders

There are many reasons why the eyes hurt and there is a violation of their movement. However, this combination of symptoms indicates a severe pathology, where self-medication is inappropriate. Disorders of eye movements occur most often due to neurological pathology (diseases of the cranial nerves or circulatory disorders in the brain). An infectious process in the orbit can lead to a temporary disturbance in movement and a condition where the eye muscles hurt when moving upward (most often, such symptoms are observed with inflammation in the lower fornix of the orbit). Treatment of eye movement disorders can only be carried out by an ophthalmologist in joint consultation with related specialists (neurologists, neurosurgeons). If pain in the eye when moving the eyeball haunts you, contact the Neuro-Med clinic for help. Our specialists will advise you in detail on all issues, as well as prescribe suitable treatment.

Prevention

To avoid headaches or eyeballs, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:

• annual visit to the doctor with laboratory tests;
• modern treatment of systemic diseases, ophthalmological disorders;
• selection of optical products only according to a doctor’s prescription;
• avoiding visiting crowded places during periods of exacerbation of the disease.

Pain inside the eyes is a dangerous symptom that can indicate many disorders. Therefore, it is important to promptly identify the causes and carry out treatment. This increases the possibility of a person’s full recovery.

Cold

Most often, with a cold accompanied by sinusitis, there is pain in the eye area. This disease does not pose a serious danger, but it causes discomfort. A cold, particularly sinusitis, causes profuse discharge from the eyes. Temporarily vision becomes worse, the image is blurry. You can reduce severe symptoms with the help of drops, lotions and herbal decoctions.

At elevated temperatures and loss of strength, when the whole body aches, the eyeballs may also ache. The sensations are localized under the upper eyelid. This symptom will go away immediately after the body temperature decreases, so there is no need to resort to additional methods. In this situation, taking antipyretics and complete restoration of the body will help.