Pain in the eyeball

Pain in the eyeball occurs due to the large number of pain receptors that are located there. Nerve endings in the eyeballs transmit pain impulses, which cause severe pain when the body is not functioning properly.

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Causes of pain in the eyeballs

The Latin word for eyeball is bulbus oculi. It is a paired formation that has a spherical shape, but an irregular one. Eyeballs are located in the eye sockets, or orbits of the human eye. They are, accordingly, located in the skull. The causes of pain in the eyeballs can be very different: common chronic fatigue, eye diseases, inflammation of the nerves of the eye, inflammation of the carotid artery or its branches, a foreign body getting into the eye, and so on.

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Overstrain of the eye muscles

This is a very common complaint that makes people visit ophthalmologists. Eye muscles become overtired due to improper computer work, failure to follow the rules when reading books and papers, reading and working in front of a monitor in poor lighting.

When the eyes look at one point for a long time, for example, at a computer monitor or TV screen, the visual muscles become overstrained, transmitting pain impulses to the eyeballs and this causes pain. The pain in the eyeballs can be dull, long-lasting, or it can be sharp, which makes you want to call a doctor immediately.

How to reduce eye strain?

To do this, you need to position yourself correctly at the computer. The lighting should be sufficient and fall on the left side. For left-handers - on the right. The optimal solution is daylight lamps, better than which no one has yet come up with anything. If a person uses daylight, then this is also a good option. Because such light is gentle on the eyes. It is indirect, diffused and does not cause glare on the monitor, does not interfere with the eyes.

A lot also depends on the cleanliness of the monitor, and who would have thought! If there are stains, streaks, elementary dust - this is an additional strain on the eyes. Therefore, you should not save on your own health and stock up on alcohol wipes for the screen, as well as a good monitor with a protective screen.

The distance from the monitor to the eyes should be at least half a meter, and preferably 60-70 cm. If a person is nearsighted, you just need to increase the scale of the image - the eyes will get tired much less. Ophthalmologists also advise making the screen light and the font black, and not vice versa. If you need to type text on a keyboard from paper sources, you need to place the paper above the keyboard closer to the monitor, and not to the side, so that you do not have to constantly squint. Then the eyes get tired much less.

Sinus infections

Infections in the body are very closely related to possible pain in the eyeballs. And sinus infections can penetrate the eyeball area faster than others. These pains can be pulsating, twitching, even shooting. The back of the eyeball suffers the most, where the most nerve endings are located. Pain can occur even from the fact that a person simply shifts his gaze to the left or right.

Headaches or facial pain

They can also cause pain in the eyeballs. Such pains can occur due to overstraining of the facial muscles, migraines, tension headaches, when a person does a lot of mental work. Pain receptors transmit pain throughout the head, including the eyeballs, intraocular pressure increases, pains can be quite strong. Their character can be twitching, dull, pulling and even shooting.

Eye pain as a result of pain in the eyeballs

Pain in the eyeballs can occur as a result of eye diseases. For example, glaucoma, in which a halo may appear around a lamp or other light source, as well as something like a wreath. With glaucoma, intraocular pressure is increased and a person may simply lose vision over time. Pain in the eyeballs with glaucoma can be pressing, breaking, a feeling may arise inside the eye as if there is a foreign body there.

Pain in the eyeballs can also be caused by uveitis, an eye disease in which the vascular membrane on the surface of the eyeball becomes inflamed.

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Colds and flu

Colds are caused by viruses and bacteria that enter the body. It is logical that they also enter the eyeballs, which is why they begin to become inflamed and hurt. A person also has a temperature, and a fever, and feels increased pressure inside the eyes. Any diseases that are accompanied by infections can inevitably lead to pain in the eyeballs, especially with pressure surges and increased body temperature.

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Herpes of the eye

Yes, there is such a herpes. In other words, shingles, which is very painful. It is also called herpes zoster. Shingles can appear under the skin in the form of blisters that hurt a lot. If herpes zoster affects the eyes, then pain in the eyeballs occurs. This pain is very strong and sharp, it does not go away for a long time, the person suffers terribly. This disease can only be treated in a hospital and as quickly as possible, otherwise the person can simply go blind.

Eyeball injuries

These injuries can also cause pain in the eyeballs. If the conjunctiva (the mucous membrane covering the white of the eye - the sclera, as well as the surface of the eyelids from the inside) is damaged at the same time, the eyeball on the surface can become covered with blood.

When the eyeball is injured, a foreign body can penetrate it, which worsens the situation and adds pain. When a foreign body gets into the eyeball, its surface can become uneven - scratches, cracks, nicks. This causes pain.

If the eyeball is cut or punctured, these wounds can be very dangerous for vision. All membranes that are in the eyes can hurt due to injury, and all can be damaged: the sclera, the cornea, and the retina.

All eye membranes are subject to trauma: cornea, sclera, retina. The retina, in addition, is very sensitive to changes in light. It is covered with a layer of cells, which gives this increased sensitivity to light. Therefore, in poor lighting or, conversely, too bright, or its changes, a person begins to lose vision. It happens that the retina separates from the eye wall, and then blindness occurs. This can be accompanied by hemorrhages in the eyeballs and the penetration of infections into them.

Infection from the body

An infection in the eyeball can occur not only as a result of colds and viruses from the external environment, but also as a result of viruses penetrating from the body. For example, with a urogenital infection, after chronic sinusitis, tonsillitis, herpes in the relapse stage, as well as banal, seemingly harmless caries. After an infectious disease, the branches of the trigeminal nerve can become inflamed, especially if a person has been in the cold for a long time and has become hypothermic. And then the pain in the eyeballs can be very strong.

Diseases of the vessels of the eyeball

The vessels that feed the eyeball can also become inflamed, and therefore the eyeballs can hurt. This pain can also occur as a result of increased eye pressure or, conversely, insufficient blood supply to the vessels. If a person has insufficient blood supply to the vessels and tissues that surround them, the person can be diagnosed with ischemia. But this disease is difficult to diagnose - the patient needs an ultrasound triplex scan. For an accurate diagnosis, you need not only an ophthalmologist, but also a cardiologist.

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Dry eye syndrome

With this disease, the surface of the eyeballs remains dry, which can cause a cutting pain in the eyes. This pain occurs with overwork at the computer, with improper lighting, with prolonged unblinking gaze at one point during monotonous work. Dry eye syndrome, which can cause pain in the eyeballs, can be dealt with if you lead a healthy lifestyle and take care of your vision.

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Mechanism of pain in the eyeballs

Due to the large number of nerve endings, the eyeballs can experience pain with the slightest external influences. But these nerve endings protect the eyes, perform a protective function. If the eyes hurt, you immediately want to close them. And rightly so, because this protects them from harmful external influences: too bright light, too dry or humid climate, from temperature changes.

The aggressive external environment is also of great importance for the health of the eyeballs. Pathogenic bacteria, microorganisms, dust microparticles, fluff and pollen of plants constantly get on the mucous membrane of the eye. And all these foreign agents can cause pain in the eyeballs, tearfulness, and stinging in the eyes. This happens because the eyes are trying to get rid of the foreign organism and react to this with tears. The nerve endings are irritated and transmit pain impulses to the brain. This is how we feel pain in the eyeballs, on which there are a huge number of nerve endings.

Often a person cannot cope with the problem on his own, he needs to see an ophthalmologist. For correct treatment, it is necessary to determine the exact diagnosis.

What types of pain are there in the eyeballs?

These pains are divided into several subgroups: internal, external, acute and chronic. External pains are understandable, they mean that the eyeballs hurt in the outer part. Internal pains in the eyeballs mean that the pain is bothering as if from the inside. Chronic pains mean that the pain process has been going on for several days or even months, their symptoms do not increase immediately, but intensify gradually. With chronic pains, both eyes are most often affected. Acute pains are the most painful sensations, they arise suddenly, sharply and develop very quickly. With acute pains, most often only one eye is affected.

Symptoms of eye damage

Severe or moderate pain in the eyeballs (inside or in the area of the whites, as if from the outside)

• Tearing of the eyes
• Itchy eyes
• Dry eyes, particularly a feeling as if sand had been poured into the eyes
• Puffiness under the eyes