Are You Experiencing Unexplained Headaches? These 6 Signs May Hint at Poor Eye Health

Persistent headaches have become common, but they are not only due to seasonal allergies, but can be a sign of an impending eye problem.

We’ve all suffered from headaches at some point in our lives. Some are mild, some are severe, and some are temporary. While the causes of headaches can be many, eye problems are among the most common causes of headaches in young people. Here’s how you can tell if your headache is eye-related:

7 signs that your headache is due to an eye problem

1. Headache centered in the forehead: Eye strain can lead to headaches, especially in today’s digital age. Constant focus on a book or a nearby screen, such as that of a phone or laptop, can cause your eye muscles to get tired and even spasm. This can lead to mild to moderate pain in your forehead and heaviness in the brow area. This is more noticeable if you haven’t been wearing your prescription glasses when performing the close-up task.
2. Blurry or watery eyes: Blurry vision and watery eyes, along with headache, can be signs of digital eye strain. If you notice these symptoms, it is important to step away from the screen, look at a distant object, and give your eyes the much-needed rest they need. It also implies that you are blinking less than usual and need to make a conscious effort to blink.
3. Headache that gets worse at the end of the day: Headaches that occur at the end of a long workday may indicate eye fatigue. This is more likely if your eyes are very tired and droopy and you have difficulty keeping them open.
4. Appearance of zigzag lines or temporary loss of visual field: While these symptoms pertain to the visual system, headaches that present with these characteristics are more like migraines with aura and have very little to do with an eye problem. Rarely, they can be triggered by prolonged exposure to a screen, flashing lights, or very bright light. They resolve on their own and require rest in a dark, quiet room.
5. Headaches associated with double vision or pain behind the eyeball: Headaches associated with a transient or prolonged episode of double vision, pain behind the eyeball, or pain when moving the eyes could indicate inflammation or pathology in one of the four cranial nerves related to vision and eye movements. This is a warning sign and requires urgent attention, as it can be sight-threatening or life-threatening in some cases.
6. Fleeting loss of vision: Episodes of transient vision loss lasting a few seconds or minutes may be associated with headache in some conditions. They are mostly signs of vascular obstruction which may be caused by a clot or vasospasm and should be treated urgently to prevent a more serious stroke.
7. Headaches associated with red, painful eyes and colored halos: If a headache is associated with red, painful eyes or the appearance of colored halos around the light bulbs, it could be indicative of an acute attack of angle-closure glaucoma. These situations require urgent treatment to prevent permanent vision loss.

Headaches can be a symptom of something as minor as eye strain or something as serious as a stroke. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the nature of your headache so that you can describe it to your doctor or ophthalmologist and allow them to decide whether you need further evaluation and treatment.