
Headaches may be symptoms of various health conditions ranging from common health concerns to more serious ailments, so if you’re suffering from headaches it is wise to keep track of their symptoms and visit an eye care professional as soon as possible.
Eye strain can lead to headaches by overworking focusing muscles. Squinting or looking at bright screens for too long are also known causes.
1. Eye Strain
Eye strain is pain in or around the eyes that can result in headaches. It often feels like burning, throbbing, stabbing, shooting or pinching sensations in one or both eyes – sometimes feeling as though there’s an object embedded somewhere within them – and may spread to other parts of the head and neck, sometimes manifesting itself with blurred vision, dry eyes or watery eyes or light sensitivity as symptoms.
Eyestrain can result from prolonged computer and digital screen device use without taking breaks, reading long distance books or driving long distances, being exposed to bright lights or glare, or other factors. This condition is known as Computer Vision Syndrome or Digital Eye Strain by the American Optometric Association and can result in symptoms such as:
Blurry vision, tired or irritated eyes, itching or watery eyes, red eyes and headache are symptoms that can be alleviated through regular breaks from screens, using blinking drops and eating healthy with plenty of fluids and fruits and vegetables.
When a headache accompanies vision loss, it’s essential to conduct some detective work in order to gain clues as to its source. Evaluating visual fields, pupils and fundus may reveal clues as to where the pain originates in occipital region of head. Also important are short periods of vision loss, dizziness, vomiting or changes in behavior or mood as potential indicators of where it comes from.
Increased intracranial pressure can be the source of headaches, often manifested as feelings of heaviness in the head, light sensitivity and sound sensitivity as well as nausea or vomiting, behavior or mood changes and vomiting. An ophthalmologist can diagnose this condition through imaging such as CT or MRI scans of the head.
2. Farsightedness
Farsightedness, also known as nearsightedness, is a common vision problem which may cause eye strain, headaches and blurry vision. It occurs when either the eyeball is too short for its cornea to properly focus light onto the retina. Farsighted people can see distant objects clearly while nearby objects appear blurry; often noticeable by early childhood and corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Some individuals suffering from migraine may experience headaches and fatigue after engaging in activities such as reading, computer use or close work for too long, lack of sleep or stress being key causes. Some migraines also feature visual auras resembling kaleidoscope or zigzag patterns of shimmering lights that appear before the start of their headache.
Headaches associated with eye issues may manifest on one side of your head, at temples or around eyes. If the pain persists for more than 24 hours or fails to subside on its own, seek medical assistance immediately. Light sensitivity known as photophobia may accompany these symptoms and could indicate an underlying condition like migraine, glaucoma or tumor which requires medication treatment for treatment.
If you suffer from both vision problems and headaches, it is essential that a complete diagnosis be obtained. An ophthalmologist can perform tests such as refraction assessment to diagnose the severity of your issues and offer corrective lenses such as eyeglasses or contacts (or refractive surgery such as LASIK to change corneal curvatures) in order to provide solutions.
If you are over 40 and struggling to see near objects clearly, it could be an indicator of farsightedness – an age-related condition known as presbyopia. Seek medical help or an ophthalmologist as soon as possible so treatment can begin and avoid vision loss or headaches. Getting checked may result in getting glasses with bi-focal or trifocal lenses prescribed so it becomes easier to see close up without squinting; laser eye surgery may even offer permanent solutions to solve this issue.
3. Glaucoma
Pain in the back of your head may be a telltale sign that something serious is amiss, with one eye disease commonly responsible being glaucoma. Glaucoma occurs when fluid draining out of your eyes becomes restricted or blocked due to blockages within its passageways – this increases pressure within and damages optic nerve fibers over time, eventually resulting in vision loss or blindness if left untreated. Open-angle glaucoma typically develops slowly without discomfort while closed-angle glaucoma typically develops quickly with much greater pain caused by its suddenness of development compared to open-angle counterpart.
Glaucoma symptoms include blurred vision, seeing colored rings around lights and an uncomfortable pressure in your eye, as well as nausea and vomiting. If these symptoms present themselves it is crucial to see your doctor immediately so steps can be taken to prevent further vision loss.
High blood pressure can also contribute to back of head headaches. This is because high blood pressure puts excessive strain on veins in your head that are located behind it, leading them to expand and cause them to swell – leading directly to headaches.
Your doctor can perform a simple eye exam to detect glaucoma by using a tonometer tool to measure intraocular pressure in your eye, after numbing with drops, placing the tonometer against it, and sending out puffs of air onto it; they then record results.
Headaches in the back of your head can be very distressful and hard to pinpoint the source. Treatment options could range from visiting your doctor or taking over-the-counter medication; in extreme cases, however, more specialized medical attention may be necessary.
4. High Blood Pressure
Chronic headaches could be an early indicator that something is amiss with your eyes, such as ocular hypertension (the buildup of pressure in the eye). Ocular hypertension can lead to serious diseases like glaucoma; therefore it’s vital that you get regular check-ups to ensure that intraocular pressure remains within normal limits.
Ocular migraines are another condition that can contribute to headaches, caused by abnormalities in retinal blood vessels and typically affect one or both eyes. They usually present with blurry vision, light sensitivity and flashing or pulsing lights – symptoms may also include dizziness and altered behavior patterns – so it is vital that medical assistance be sought should you experience these signs.
High blood pressure can also contribute to eye problem symptoms by disrupting the flow of blood to the optic nerve, potentially leading to glaucoma (a painful condition which could eventually result in permanent blindness if untreated) and central serous choroidopathy (in which fluid leaks from choroid layer of retina, leading to blurry or double vision).
Though eye disease does not typically lead to headaches in children, it has the potential to do so occasionally. About 25% of kids who report headaches also have an ocular condition as the cause, most likely related to refractive errors or strabismus.
Eye pain may occur without having a headache. For instance, some individuals suffer from Horner’s syndrome – a condition in which small blood vessels near the eye swell up painfully causing irritation or discomfort for some individuals. While usually not severe or distressful for most patients experiencing this ailment, it can still be bothersome and even irritating at times. It would be wise to consult your physician should this condition arise, particularly if high blood pressure or diabetes have previously been an issue in your life – they will be able to help manage symptoms as well as prevent future outbreaks from becoming worsened or worsened over time.







