Why do I have a headache and red eyes?

Causes

The main causes of headaches, which are accompanied by redness of the eyes:

• migraines – this causes panic, fear, sensitivity to light;
• sinusitis - pain is localized not only in the sinuses, but also in the frontal part;
• neoplasms in the brain - decreased performance, memory impairment, decreased concentration;
• increased intracranial pressure - accompanied by severe pain;
• meningitis - with this disease, the membranes of the spinal cord and brain become inflamed;
• hematomas of the head - this is caused by injuries and blows.

Head and eye pain: what are the causes and how to treat the symptom - Izvilina

The situation when a person has a headache, and the eyes are a source of additional discomfort, is not uncommon. You should not ignore the condition or immediately begin self-therapy.

It is better to assess the full picture of the situation and seek advice from a specialist. An experienced doctor, based on one clinical picture, may suspect why attacks of headache and pain around the eyes appear simultaneously.

In most cases, anxiety symptoms can be easily relieved with simple manipulations.

Types of headaches

Physiological and pathological conditions that are accompanied by pain in the head and eyes often have additional specific symptoms. Some patients constantly have pain in a certain part of the skull, for others it is difficult to determine the localization of the symptom, for others it is difficult to even move their eyeballs.

The type of sensations, frequency and time of their occurrence, duration - all this helps the doctor when making a diagnosis. Systematic or prolonged attacks of eye pain and headache are usually accompanied by a number of striking clinical manifestations. Some of them affect the human psyche or lead to a decrease in the quality of his life.

Why does my head hurt and put pressure on my eyes?

Doctors give an impressive list of reasons. In most cases, timely initiation of treatment allows you to quickly and completely get rid of the unpleasant syndrome.

The main thing is not to delay going to the doctor, not to try to solve the problem with the help of painkillers and not to get carried away with traditional medicine without the permission of a specialist.

Overwork

Often, a mild headache pressing on the eyes turns out to be the cause of eye fatigue due to prolonged eye strain or working at the computer. It doesn't bother you so much as it distracts you from your usual activities.

In this case, blurred vision and decreased visual acuity are observed, pain is localized in the temples and back of the head. Red eyes appear dry or, on the contrary, become very watery. If you ignore the condition, it will be accompanied by general weakness, weakness, dizziness and nausea.

Migraine

The symptom occurs in one half of the head, often in the temporal region. The headache constantly hurts and radiates to the eye or bridge of the nose, sometimes a shooting type of symptom.

The disease is characterized by pulsating sensations, which are accompanied by a decrease in the quality of vision and “spots.” When moving the head and eyes, under the influence of light or strong odors, the pain intensifies.

The attack lasts from 3-4 to 72 hours and may not respond to analgesics and antispasmodics.

Tension headache

Physical and intellectual overload cause spasm of blood vessels in the brain, neck, shoulders and face. Soreness is noted in all of these areas, accompanied by a pressing sensation on the eyes. Prolonged physical or nervous tension is fraught with exacerbation of the clinical picture, the development of stagnation in the tissues and the transition of the condition to a chronic form.

Hypertonic disease

If a headache is accompanied not just by pain in the eyes, but by a bursting sensation, this indicates an increase in blood pressure. The condition is extremely dangerous, as it can cause a stroke.

With hypertension, the pressure on the eyes becomes unbearable. They seem to literally jump out of their orbits. Rest does not bring the desired relief. Hypotension is also accompanied by pain in the head, but at the same time the person’s eyes darken, and the eyelids become very heavy and one wants to cover them.

Increased intracranial pressure

Chronic increased (or decreased) intracranial pressure is accompanied by constant dull sensations with shooting in the eyes and nausea. Symptoms worsen at night or in the morning. Even after rest, patients complain of weakness, drowsiness, dizziness and fatigue. After some time, vision problems appear.

Increased intraocular pressure

The main causes of primary pathology: hypertension, colds, diabetes, cataracts and glaucoma. Ignoring headaches and discomfort in the eye area in the last two cases is fraught with blindness. Even if you have a slight bursting sensation, you should not neglect going to the doctor. Heaviness in the eyes and changes in the quality of vision indicate the progression of the disease.

A secondary increase in the indicator is typical for injuries, inflammatory diseases, and tumors. It usually acts as an additional symptom, but may be the only manifestation of the pathology. If it is painful to move your eyes and this symptom does not go away with rest, you should check your intraocular pressure and optic nerve.

Inflammatory diseases of the nose and paranasal sinuses

In some cases, lacrimation and discomfort in the eyes due to headaches complement the picture of allergic or infectious rhinitis. The symptoms are mild and disappear as the general condition improves.

Sinusitis, ethmoiditis and frontal sinusitis - inflammatory processes in the paranasal sinuses - are accompanied by severe pain in the head, especially in the forehead. They intensify when changing body position; it is unpleasant for the patient to raise his eyes upward.

Ignoring illnesses can provoke meningitis or encephalitis, and these conditions threaten human health and life.

Diseases of the eyes and paraorbital region

The appearance of pain in the head against the background of ophthalmological problems indicates the neglect of the case. Typically, such diseases begin to manifest themselves before their negative impact spreads to the central nervous system. Regular visits to the ophthalmologist for preventive purposes will reduce such risks to a minimum.

If the eyeball and head hurt, the reasons may be:

• glaucoma - due to increased intraocular pressure, headaches appear, vision decreases, and the pupil dilates. There is swelling of the eyelids and redness of the mucous membrane. The patient is uncomfortable looking at the light. In the later stages, the clinical picture is supplemented by dizziness, nausea, and vomiting;
• spasm of accommodation (false myopia) – pathological contraction of the eye muscle leads to decreased vision and eye fatigue. This is accompanied by headaches in the temples and frontal lobe, lacrimation and redness of the mucous membrane. A person complains of pain in the eyes and severe discomfort, which is difficult to relieve with improvised means;
• thrombosis of the eye - blocking a vessel with a blood clot leads to impaired blood circulation in the tissues. In the initial stages of the pathology, the patient experiences vision problems in the form of “blind” spots or a veil. Pain in the eye appears when blinking, and headaches are the result of tissue malnutrition and necrosis.

Of particular danger is an ignored or incompletely treated injury to the eyeball. If a person’s vision decreases, one eye twitches, or suffers from constant headaches or attacks, this may indicate a violation of the innervation or blood supply to certain parts of the visual apparatus. Head injuries, especially the occipital part, can lead to the same consequences.

Brain diseases

Organic tissue damage, inflammation, infection and poor circulation in the brain lead to a number of symptoms. Headaches and discomfort in the eyes are not the most informative signs against their background, but they still help to suspect certain diagnoses.

The combination of two symptoms is characteristic of such diseases:

• intracranial hematoma: the cause of the pathology in most cases is traumatic brain injury. The headache is constant and long, up to 5-7 days in a row. Painful sensations in the eyes may be accompanied by dizziness, a feeling of fullness inside the skull;
• inflammation of the meninges - arachnoiditis, pachymeningitis, leptomeningitis - pain is prolonged and painful, almost does not respond to medication. When moving, my head starts to hurt even more. It puts pressure on my eyes from the inside, I don’t want to open them.
• brain sarcoma – accompanied by local or general headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, weakness.

If a person has red eyes and a severe headache, do not attribute it to a cold or other “non-dangerous” illness. It is better to consult a doctor immediately and rule out brain damage. With these diseases, time is of the essence and early treatment can save lives.

Vascular lesions

Ischemic tissue damage or cerebral hemorrhage can cause the patient’s death or disability. The sooner the diagnosis is made and treatment is started, the lower the likelihood of negative irreversible consequences.

The most common cause of a combination of symptoms is:

• Aneurysm is a lingering, pulsating pain. It is usually concentrated in the frontal part of the head and radiates into the eyes. Intensifies with movement or rotation of the eyeballs;
• stroke - headache extends to the eyes and is often accompanied by blurred vision. This is accompanied by paralysis of the facial muscles on one half of the face;
• temporal arteritis – the patient’s temperature rises, nausea and weakness appear. The pain is one-sided, in the temple area, radiating to the eyes, forehead, crown. The sensation is aching or pulsating, intensified by chewing.

An unpleasant condition may have other reasons. Sometimes the problem lies in the incorrect selection of glasses or contact lenses, an allergic reaction, a purulent or inflammatory process in the head (carious teeth, gum disease). A characteristic syndrome provokes osteochondrosis - with a headache in the back of the head.

What to do if your eyes and head hurt

If unpleasant symptoms occur, you should contact specialists for help. It is recommended to start with a visit to your local physician.

Depending on the characteristics of the clinical picture, he will refer you to a neurologist, ophthalmologist, ENT specialist, or prescribe diagnostic tests. You should not try to get rid of the disease on your own.

Analgesics, NSAIDs, antispasmodics and other tablets help relieve a painful attack, but do not always act on the cause of the condition.

Eye exercises

According to statistics, the most common cause of headaches and pressure on the eyeballs is eye fatigue. Often, it is enough to give the visual organs a rest or use artificial tears to get rid of the discomfort.

A head massage and eye exercises provide a therapeutic effect. The latter are represented by a whole group of manipulations. It includes rotational movements of the eyeballs, frequent blinking of the eyelids, and fixation of the gaze on a certain point in the distance. Every 45 minutes you should take a break from work and give your eyes a rest.

ethnoscience

Non-traditional methods of combating symptoms include the use of eye compresses, physiotherapeutic approaches, and the use of medicinal drinks. If there are no contraindications such as inflammation and fever, you should take a warm bath.

When the nature of the pain is dull and weak, and not pronounced and paroxysmal, you can drink a cup of warm milk with honey or chamomile tea. This will dilate the blood vessels, relax and calm you down.

Symptoms

Such manifestations generally indicate the presence of serious illnesses. Headache, which is accompanied by redness of the eyes, rarely occurs without a reason. In this case, the patient experiences:

• feeling of heat;
• throbbing pain of different localization;
• redness of the eyes and a feeling of heaviness;
• the face turns red;
• performance decreases;
• Sensitivity to light appears.

If such symptoms develop, you should immediately consult a doctor. A thorough examination will be required. After determining the cause of such manifestations, the doctor prescribes treatment.

Headache and red eyes: reasons, what this can mean, how to help a child and an adult

After a busy day at work, many people complain of discomfort in the head, pain in the eyes, and general weakness. Headache and red eyes are signals from the body that require examination by a doctor, since before starting treatment it is necessary to find out the cause of their appearance. Associating these far from harmless signals with ordinary overwork, a person does not pay attention to them.

However, this problem cannot be ignored. The anatomical structure of the ocular apparatus is complex, and the optic nerve directly connects it to the brain. Unpleasant sensations can appear either due to an external stimulus or due to an internal problem.

Migraines and red eyes are common symptoms in medical practice that indicate a common cold or more serious illnesses.

The main reasons why your head and eyes hurt at the same time

There can be many reasons why you have a headache and it is painful to move your eyes. It is possible that the malaise is a consequence of spending a long time in a stuffy room or working at a computer for a long time. In this case, the discomfort goes away quickly if you rest a little and go out into the fresh air.

There are also more serious reasons. If your head hurts for a long time and there is pressure in the eye area, in the back of the head, movements of the pupils are painful, the nature of the pain is pulsating, you should undergo an examination. The probable causes of pain are presented below.

Meningitis

Headache is the leading symptom in infectious and inflammatory diseases. Meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of the brain, is especially dangerous.

Pain occurs due to increased secretion of cerebrospinal fluid and swelling of the meninges. I want to sleep, apathy arises, it becomes cloudy, my mood disappears.

This serious illness requires immediate hospitalization. Home regime is excluded, otherwise death is possible.

Tired eyes

Fatigue can also cause persistent cephalgia, which radiates to the left or right eye. This may be due to incorrectly selected lenses or glasses.

When the eyes see poorly, they are forced to constantly strain and get tired quickly. The eyes become watery, red, dizzy, and may even feel nauseous. Correctly selected optics will help get rid of the symptoms.

Then the veil will fall, the feeling that sand has been poured into them will go away, and it will immediately become easier.

Sinusitis, sinusitis and sinusitis

There is a unilateral headache arising from the side of the affected sinus. It hurts from the inside behind the right or left eye, respectively, it compresses the area of ​​the temples and the frontal part, nasal congestion, swelling of the face, and high temperature are observed.

Elevated temperature always indicates an inflammatory process, so this condition requires treatment. You should visit an otolaryngologist to avoid complications.

Migraine pain

During migraine attacks, the pain is localized on one side, affecting the temple, back of the head and eye area.

It can hurt separately on the left or right, and is characterized by visual disturbances, distortions, goosebumps, blinking and flickering before the eyes.

During a severe attack, it is painful to look at the light, it begins to feel nauseous, chills, dizziness, fear of noise, jitters, nausea and vomiting. This condition can last up to 3 days.

Liquorodynamic disorders

In this case, the headache is accompanied by high body temperature, decreased heart rate, lack of appetite, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.

The causes of cerebrospinal fluid dynamics disorders are various inflammatory processes occurring in the brain tissue, due to which the movement of cerebrospinal fluid is disrupted:

Also, a similar problem can be a consequence of injuries to the back with damage to the brain and spinal cord.

Cervical osteochondrosis

Cephalgia is a constant companion of cervical osteochondrosis. This disease is often diagnosed in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.

With constant immobility of the spine, it becomes deformed, pinching of nerve endings occurs, which leads to severe discomfort.

Diagnostics

With such manifestations, you will need to be examined by the following specialists: a neurologist, an ophthalmologist, a therapist. Initially, a visual inspection is carried out. The doctor must examine the medical history and listen to the patient’s complaints. It is also necessary to exclude the presence of chronic diseases. For an in-depth diagnosis, the following examinations will be needed:

• ophthalmoscopy;
• MRI;
• ;
• measurement of intracranial and intraocular pressure;
• gonioscopy.

After receiving the results, the doctor determines the diagnosis and prescribes drug therapy.

Treatment

If you experience a sudden headache, red eyes, nausea or fever, you should immediately consult a doctor. Such signs may indicate a cold. This is the mildest disease that such symptoms may indicate. Colds can be easily cured at home. For this purpose, cold and antipyretic drugs are used.

If the temperature does not decrease and the symptoms worsen, then you should consult a specialist. Depending on the disease, drug therapy is prescribed. Homeopathic treatment is often used. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, and antispasmodics are also prescribed. Self-medication is strictly not recommended.