Could your headaches be due to eye problems? If you’re suffering from frequent headaches, ask yourself, “When was my last eye checkup?”
A comprehensive eye exam can identify variety of issues that may be causing headaches. In some cases staring at the computer screen too long, or working on overly bright or dim light may be the culprit. Adjusting workplace lighting, or remembering to take a break every hour or so to give your eyes a rest can remedy those problems.
There are also some common eye conditions that may result in headaches if untreated. They are:
- Astigmatism, in which the cornea is not properly shaped, and requires you to squint in order to focus your vision.
- Hyperopia, or long-sightedness.
- Presbyopia, a condition in which the lens has become hard and inflexible with age, making it difficult to focus.
However, those headaches could also be triggered by something more serious, such as glaucoma or cataracts. With glaucoma, pressure builds up inside the eye due to its inability to drain fluid properly. That eventually can damage the optic nerve. Open-angle glaucoma, which is a slow buildup of pressure, may not have any symptoms, but angle closure glaucoma, which causes a sharper increase of pressure, can cause pain blurred vision and headaches.
Cataracts, a clouding of the eye’s lens, also can bring about headaches as they become more severe. As your vision becomes more limited, the eye works harder.
Post-Concussion Headaches- Headaches after concussion (or mild traumatic injury) are one of the most common side effects of a head injury. Although all presenting sympotms should be considered, we will explore post concussion headaches and their specific impact on patients. Most often patients who experience post concussion headaches have an underlining binocular vision syndrome as the primary source ofthe onset of headaches.
Migraine/Cluster Headaches
These types of headaches are sometimes preceded by warning symptoms. Triggers include hormone changes, certain food and drinks, stress and exercise. Migraine headaches can cause a throbbing in one particular area that can vary in intensity. Nausea and sensitivity to light and sound are also common symptoms. Ophthalmic migraines may present seeing blind spots, shimmering spots, flashing lights, or zig-zag lines. Cluster headaches are a series of relatively short but extremely painful headaches every day for weeks or months at a time. A comprehensive eye examination should be scheduled to ensure ocular health if you exhibit these types of headaches.
Neurological
Headaches may be caused by a number of conditions, such as disorders of the neck, eyes, brain, jaw or teeth. Headaches with an underlining medical condition may be serious and not to be ignored. A comprehensive eye examination may identify a serious medical condition.
If you’re experiencing frequent headaches, and it’s been more than a year or two between eye examinations, it’s a good idea to see your eye care provider. If you already wear glasses, you may just need a new prescription. But if something else is going on, he or she can identify the problem, and take the proper steps to have you seeing clearly and headache-free.
