Headaches behind the eye

What are headaches behind the eye?

Headaches that occur behind the eye can be very painful and can be a great strain for those affected. Especially if the pain occurs very frequently or is very severe, a medical consultation should be performed to rule out possible serious diseases and avoid their effects. Depending on the cause, the headache can be accompanied by various other symptoms, such as a banal cold, impaired vision or even an excessive watery eye.

The possible causes

The possible causes that lead to headaches behind the eye are very diverse. For example, in addition to banal frontal headaches and migraines, sinusitis may also be a possible cause, which is usually accompanied by a cold and a feeling of pressure, which becomes much stronger when bending forward. Furthermore, there are special forms of headache that almost always occur at this location and cause very severe pain, the so-called cluster headaches.

The unbearable pain is often described as a “pinprick in the eye” and lasts 15 to 180 minutes. They are accompanied by a watery, reddened eye, increased sweating, a drooping eyelid and general restlessness. Another possible cause is acute glaucoma.

In glaucoma, there is often an increase in pressure in the eye, which leads to damage to the optic nerve and causes pain. Also the inflammation of a certain vessel in the area of the temple, the so-called arteritis temporalis, can in certain cases lead to headaches, which are perceived behind the eye. It is often accompanied by a reduction in vision, which can persist permanently without immediate therapy.

Cause cervical spine

Neck pain and headaches very often occur together, thanks to the functional interconnection of the brain nerves. These are connected in such a way that the brain cannot differentiate whether the pain comes from the neck or the head. Thus, headaches can lead to neck pain and vice versa. Tensions or blockages in the cervical spine are generally referred to as cervical spine syndrome. This is considered one of the main causes of tension headaches, which can also radiate into the eyes.