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You are here : Healthopedia.com > Medical Encyclopedia > Medical Symptoms > Eye Pain
      Category : Health Centers > Eyes and Vision

Eye Pain

Alternate Names : Ocular Pain, Pain in the Eye

Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors | Symptoms & Signs | Diagnosis & Tests | Prevention & Expectations | Treatment & Monitoring | Pictures and Images | Attribution


Eye pain refers to any discomfort in the area of the eye.

What is going on in the body?

Eye pain is a fairly common complaint with many possible causes. One or both eyes may be affected. Eye pain should be taken seriously, especially if vision changes also occur.

What are the causes and risks of the condition?

There are many possible causes of eye pain. Common causes include:

  • eyestrain, which can occur when the eyes are overused, such as after reading for a long time. Strain can also occur when someone is always struggling to see because he or she needs glasses.
  • a foreign body in the eye, such as an eyelash, contact lens, or a small piece of metal
  • an eye or eyelid infection, such as conjunctivitis, which is an infection of the very front of the eyeball
  • injury, such as getting poked in the eye or chemical burns to the eye
  • closed-angle glaucoma, which is due to increased pressure inside the eye
  • a sinus infection, called acute sinusitis, which can cause eye pain and headaches
  • inflammation inside the eye, such as in one of the inside layers of the eye called the uvea. This is known as uveitis.
  • headaches, especially migraine headaches
  • optic neuritis, an inflammation of the tip of the optic nerve
  • Other causes of eye pain are also possible.


       

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    Eye Pain: Symptoms & Signs

    Author: Adam Brochert, MD
    Reviewer: Gail Hendrickson, RN, BS
    Date Reviewed: 07/27/01









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    Page Last Updated: 30th May, 2006