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Headaches are a very common health complaint. Eye strain and ocular problems can cause discomfort, however the eye is not a common cause of headaches. This article will discuss some of the most common causes of headache including ocular, muscular, sinus and vascular headaches. Muscle contraction headaches are the most common. Everyday stress can cause an increased tension on the muscles in the back of the neck. Prolonged head positioning (such as with prolonged near work or sleeping in a certain position) can also cause this discomfort. The pain can be felt in the back of the neck and over the forehead where the muscle attaches above the brow. Forehead and temple pain from such muscle strain may be perceived by the patient as coming from the eyes. Discomfort from a muscle contraction headache (also called tension headache) is often transient and relieved by over-the-counter pain medications. Migraine headaches are the next most common affecting nearly one in ten people. These headaches are due to blood vessels in the brain which have spasms and then expand causing the pain. Some patients can get visual symptoms such as a slowly moving blind spot with scintillating jagged edges or distortions of images that last up to 20 minutes. It is possible to get the visual symptoms without the headache and it is quite common to get the headache without the visual symptoms. The pain from migraine headaches can be severe. It is often associated with nausea and light sensitivity. Over-the-counter medications may be ineffective and a visit to a family physician or neurologist may be helpful if the pain is severe or the migraines are frequent. Sinus disease is another common cause of headache. The eyes are surrounded by sinuses and pain from the sinuses often feels as though it is ocular in origin. A trial of sinus decongestants may provide relief. An improper glasses prescription is truly an uncommon cause of headache. Such eye strain discomfort will be present only with a prolonged visual task such as reading. Please keep in mind that all eyes can feel some degree of fatigue with prolonged use. If patients have dry eyes the discomfort may be reduced by using an artificial tear prior to the prolonged visual task. Overall, headaches due to improper glasses or eye stain get worse with prolonged eye use and the discomfort is not continuous. The are other causes for headache not discussed above, some of which can be indicative of a significant medical problem. If your headaches are not relieved by over-the-counter medications you should discuss the symptoms of your headache with your physician. He can help you decide a treatment plan that is best for you. An ophthalmologist is a medical physician who specializes in medical and surgical eye care. Your ophthalmologist can be helpful in determining if there is an ocular cause for your headaches.
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