Pain when blinking can occur in both eyes or only one eye and is often accompanied by an uncomfortable foreign body sensation. These symptoms are usually related to harmless dryness of the affected eye, which may result from frequent outdoor activities in strong winds, for example. In extremely rare cases, degenerative diseases or even tumors are responsible for the symptoms.
What characterizes pain when blinking?
The most common cause of pain when blinking is an overly dry eye. When there is too little moisture in the eye, the eyelid does not glide. Blinking is a rapid, bilateral synchronous and usually unnoticed blink that serves to maintain the tear film on the cornea and conjunctiva, as well as to remove minute particles from the eye. Humans blink at approximately five-second intervals. Humans blink about 13 times every minute. Sometimes blinking is accompanied by medical complaints. For example, pain can occur during the blinking movement, which usually has harmless causes. However, since blinking pain is a relatively nonspecific complaint, the symptoms must be clarified by a physician if in doubt.
Causes
The most common cause of blink pain is an overly dry eye. When there is too little moisture in the eye, the eyelid no longer glides. As a result, the blink feels as if it is taking place against resistance. Slight stinging pain may occur. However, the basic sensation is usually described as an unpleasant foreign body sensation rather than pain. Sometimes an actual foreign body in the eye is responsible for the pain, such as grains of sand or small pieces of metal. A foreign body in the eye often triggers an inflammation of the cornea or conjunctiva, which can also be causally related to the pain when blinking. Even the patient’s own eyelashes can cause a foreign body sensation and blinking pain if they do not fall optimally and therefore rub against the cornea when the eyelid is closed. Blinking pain can also sometimes be associated with threatening diseases. Degenerative diseases of the cornea and conjunctiva, for example, cannot be ruled out. In rare cases, benign or malignant tumors of the cornea or conjunctiva can cause the blinking pain. Tumors, as well as inflammations, are usually only to be suspected if the phenomenon affects only one of the two eyes.
Diseases with this symptom
- Corneal inflammation
- Conjunctivitis
- Eyelid tumor
Diagnosis and course
If only the eyelashes are responsible for the pain when blinking, an experienced physician recognizes this complaint with the naked eye when the patient closes the eyelids. If he cannot see anything with the naked eye, he drips fluorescein on the eyes after taking a history. Foreign bodies and wounds thus appear in color. This can also be used, for example, to detect a degenerative corneal or conjunctival lesion. To rule out inflammation, the physician looks into the affected eye via a slit lamp and sees the cornea therein at 40x magnification. If there is a raised lesion on the conjunctiva or cornea, the doctor usually orders a biopsy to assess or rule out a tumorous change. During this biopsy, the lesion is removed as much as possible and examined in the laboratory. This type of disease is extremely rare and usually affects only people in the second half of life. In the case of conjunctival and corneal tumors, the course of the disease depends largely on the stage, the exact location, and the malignancy or benignity of the lesions.
Complications
Pain on blinking usually indicates a foreign body in the eye. Infection of the conjunctiva can also cause pain on blinking. In this context, of course, various complications can arise or emerge, which should be treated by a doctor depending on their severity. A foreign body in the eye must be removed in any case. Do not attempt to remove it yourself, as the eye is a very sensitive organ of the human body. To avoid complications or serious injuries to the eye, only a doctor should remove a foreign body in the eye.If the pain when blinking is caused by an infection of the eye, a wide variety of complications can also occur. Contamination can cause a strong inflammation, which even has a pus formation. In many cases, this causes the eye to be stuck shut and a strong and unpleasant itching sensation. A visit to the doctor is highly advisable at this point, otherwise the inflammation can spread further throughout the body. In addition, if not treated, blood poisoning can occur, which in the worst case can even lead to death.
When should you go to the doctor?
If you complain of pain when blinking, you most likely have a foreign body in your eye. If there is a foreign body in the eye, then a visit to the doctor should not be put off. Under certain circumstances, the eye may become severely inflamed, resulting in permanent damage to the conjunctiva or retina. Self-attempts to remove the foreign body should also be refrained from. In such a case, a visit to your own family doctor or the nearest ophthalmologist is urgently required. Of course, pain when blinking can also be responsible for an inflammation. This includes, for example, a stye. A stye is a very painful affair, but it can be treated with your own medicine cabinet at the first signs. However, if there is no significant improvement after two to three days, then a trip to the doctor must be made. Only anti-inflammatory medications can effectively and quickly combat a stye or other inflammation of this type. At the latest when the formation of pus occurs, then the visit to the doctor is inevitable. Thus, the following applies: In case of pain when blinking, a visit to the doctor must not be postponed. Only in this way can serious secondary diseases be detected or treated at an early stage.
Treatment and therapy
The treatment of the pain depends on the diagnosis made in each case. For simple dryness, the physician may prescribe eye drops for the patient, which restore the moisture balance and allow the pain to pass when the eyelids close. The doctor usually treats inflammation with antibiotic drops. If, on the other hand, a foreign body in the eye causes the pain when blinking, the doctor removes this foreign body without damaging the cornea. If this procedure is not possible or if the foreign body has already damaged the cornea, additional surgery may be indicated. In this operation, cornea can be transplanted under certain circumstances. The same procedure is sometimes followed by the doctor in case of degenerative phenomena of the cornea or conjunctiva. If a tumor is suspected and the biopsy results are positive, the patient is usually treated with eye drops, which usually cause a tumorous lesion to recede in the early stages. If this approach is not successful, additional chemotherapy may be indicated, with an application radiating to the lesion. To check the effectiveness of these procedures, a second biopsy is ordered after a certain period of time. If unsuccessful, the physician may remove the affected eye if the tumor is malignant.
Outlook and prognosis
In most cases, pain on blinking occurs because of a foreign body in the eye. This may be an eyelash or a speck of dust that has entered the eye. Often, this foreign body can be easily removed by the patient and eventually leads to no further discomfort or complications. It is also common for the eye to water a little, as this helps to sponge it out. However, if there is no foreign body in the eye, the pain when blinking indicates an infection or inflammation in the eye. In this case, the patient should definitely consult a doctor. The eye is a very sensitive organ and therefore should not be treated by home remedies. As a rule, a more serious disease in the eye is characterized by a yellow, sticky secretion. Treatment at the doctor’s office is either surgical or with the help of medication and in most cases leads to improvement. If the pain when blinking is not treated, in the worst case it can lead to loss of vision.
Prevention
Pain on blinking is extremely rarely due to threatening diseases and is usually associated with harmless dryness.To prevent this dryness in the future, the patient can, for example, carry a small bottle of eye drops with him, which he drops in at the first sign of dryness. To avoid any inflammation in the eye in the future, the patient does not rub the eye if there is a foreign body in it. Contact lens wearers ensure that the lenses, as well as their own hands, are always hygienically cleaned during eye contact and do not carry viruses into the eye.
What you can do yourself
If pain occurs when blinking, the patient should first examine his eye for foreign bodies. In most cases, there is an eyelash, eyebrow, or other foreign body in the eye that is causing the pain. In this case, the eye can be gently washed with water to remove the foreign body. It is normal for the eye to water a little during this process. If there is nothing in the eye, eye drops can help with the pain when blinking. These are to be used according to the package insert and can be purchased at the pharmacy without a prescription. Eye drops should not be used for longer than instructed. In case of pain when blinking, the affected person should in any case drink plenty of fluids and avoid drafts on the eye. This applies especially to cyclists, motorcyclists and car drivers. Prolonged work in front of screens should also be avoided. In addition, good hygiene also helps to avoid and also prevent the pain when blinking. If the pain when blinking does not go away on its own, a doctor must be consulted in any case. Inflammation of the eye should always be treated properly, as the eye is a very sensitive organ.
