Pain behind your eyes can stem from various causes, ranging from common issues like eyestrain to less frequent conditions. Identifying the specific cause often requires considering other accompanying symptoms.
Potential Causes of Headache Behind the Eyes:
Here's a breakdown of possible reasons for that headache behind your eyes:
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Eyestrain: Prolonged focus on screens, reading, or driving can strain your eye muscles, leading to headaches concentrated behind the eyes.
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Tension Headaches: These are the most common type of headache, often caused by stress or muscle tension in the neck and shoulders. The pain can radiate to the forehead and behind the eyes.
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Migraine: Migraines are characterized by intense throbbing pain, often on one side of the head, and can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. The pain may be localized behind one or both eyes.
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Cluster Headaches: These are severe headaches that occur in clusters, with intense pain around one eye or temple. They are often accompanied by a runny nose, watery eye, and facial sweating on the affected side.
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Sinus Infection (Sinusitis): Inflammation and pressure in the sinuses due to infection can cause pain and pressure behind the eyes, along with nasal congestion, facial tenderness, and fever.
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Less Common Causes:
- Thyroid Eye Disease (Graves' Disease): This autoimmune condition can affect the muscles and tissues around the eyes, leading to pain, pressure, and vision changes.
- Optic Neuritis: Inflammation of the optic nerve, which transmits visual information from the eye to the brain, can cause pain behind the eye that worsens with eye movement, along with vision loss.
When to Seek Medical Attention:
It's crucial to consult a doctor if you experience any of the following along with your headache behind the eyes:
- Sudden, severe headache
- Fever
- Vision changes (blurred vision, double vision, vision loss)
- Stiff neck
- Numbness or weakness
- Confusion
- Seizures
These symptoms could indicate a more serious underlying condition requiring prompt medical attention.
