It’s blissful to have your eyes at ease and in good shape. However, you realize it only when eye irritation occurs. Eye symptoms, such as twitching eyelids or pain in the eye while blinking, can ruin your day. Show
8 Leading Causes of Eye Pain When Blinking & How to Treat ThemWhy does my eye hurt when I blink? Check out which are the 8 common causes of eye pain when blinking.
Discomfort from acute injuries or debris might hurt your eye or the eye socket while blinking. Rubbing or touching the eye can easily result in a scratched eye, which is pretty common. Your eye also gets injured by too much UV light exposure. ConjunctivitisConjunctivitis is the inflammation of the transparent membrane that covers your eye and the inside of the eyelid. Your blood vessels may swell, resulting in the eyes turning red and hurting. Infection-related conjunctivitis can spread quickly and cause eye pain when blinking. Hay fever and pet allergy may lead to conjunctivitis. Dry Eye SyndromeTear production gets interfered with in dry eye syndrome, sometimes called dry eye illness. As a result, your eyes get dry and irritated. It could cause discomfort and pain when you blink. It often results from digital eye strain and fatigue, which can be prevented by taking regular breaks from the screen and resting. Eye drops are also effective in some cases. Staphylococcus aureus, also known as “staph,” is a type of bacteria that most commonly causes stye and can transmit to other people through close contact. In stye, oil glands on the eyelid or the follicles of the eyelashes become infected. It results in eyelid swelling, which makes blinking painful. Blepharitis (Eye Inflammation)Your answer to why my eyes hurt when I blink can be blepharitis if this pain is accompanied by bacterial infection, a clogged gland, or skin diseases like seborrheic dermatitis. The inflammation of the upper or lower eyelid margins is known as blepharitis. Blinking can aggravate irritated eyelids and make them hurt. Tear Duct InfectionYour eyes have a duct for passing the tears. It is called a tear duct. If this duct gets blocked due to anything such as debris, your eyes may catch an infection. This often causes pain in your eyes when blinking. Corneal UlcerAn open sore that appears on the surface of the eye is known as a corneal ulcer. They typically result from infection but can also arise from wounds like burns or scratches. SinusitisPainful eyes when blinking, face tenderness, blocked nose, headache, etc. indicate sinusitis. It’s an inflammation of the sinuses due to viral infection. Sinuses are the tiny cavities around your eyes and nose. What Can Happen If Eyes Continue to Pain When Blinking?If your eye pain during blinking continues because you don’t get your inflammation or injury treated in time, you may face the following repercussions:-
When Should I Go to the Doctor for Eye Pain?If the pain you feel while blinking is not subsiding despite using all the home remedies mentioned in this article, you should meet your eye doctor ASAP. Here are some symptoms that require the eye doctor’s immediate attention to develop the best course of treatment.
Treat it as a medical emergency if the following symptoms accompany your blinking pain:-
It’s not difficult to cure eye pain when blinking, provided you don’t delay visiting your eye doctor if the pain persists. They can detect the correct cause of eye pain when blinking through a detailed eye exam and prescribe a suitable treatment. Call us now to connect with our team of experienced eye doctors in Fresno. Request an appointment with us Today!
When our eyes are comfortable and healthy, we can focus on experiencing the world, instead of how we experience it. But when we experience eye discomfort, it’s difficult to ignore. From eyelid twitching to burning eyes, eye symptoms can interrupt our day. One symptom that demands our attention is a pain when we blink. The average person blinks between 900–1,200 times an hour, with each blink lasting between 0.1–0.4 seconds. That’s about 10% of the time you’re awake. If your eyes hurt when you blink, that can amount to a lot of distraction and discomfort. Multiple eye conditions and diseases can cause eye pain. But one common cause of blinking irritation is dry eye. What Causes Eye Blinking Pain?Although dry eye syndrome is a common cause of eye discomfort, other conditions that can cause pain with blinking, such as: Most of the causes of blinking pain require medical attention to resolve. However, for eye conditions, including dry eye, styes, blepharitis, corneal ulcers, tear duct infections, conjunctivitis, and keratitis, our optometrists can help. Other Notable SymptomsIn addition to your eyes hurting when you blink, you may also experience commonly related symptoms:
If you experience unbearable pain or sudden vision changes, it’s an eye emergency and requires immediate care. Call us for an emergency appointment. However, if the symptoms are tolerable but uncomfortable, you should still book an appointment as soon as possible. Then, we can evaluate your eye health and develop a personalized plan for treating your symptoms. How Blinking WorksBlinking cleans away debris, spreads moisture, and brings oxygen to keep our eyes healthy. When our blink rate is reduced, or the quality of our blinks is affected, it can significantly harm eye health. We need to blink 900–1,200 times an hour to spread moisture across our eyes, forming a tear film. Our tear film keeps the eye’s surface hydrated, smooth, and clean. The tear film is made of 3 layers:
Each layer plays a role in maintaining tear quality and quantity. Tears protect our eyes and prevent the surface from drying. When tear production is interrupted, it can hinder our eyelids from spreading moisture, resulting in dry eye. How Dry Eye Affects BlinkingDry eye is a condition caused by poor tear quality, related to deficiencies in the 3 tear layers. Tear production can be affected by multiple factors, including: For people with dry eyes, dry spots on the cornea can cause sensitivity to motion. Notably, blinking can become irritating and even painful because their eyes lack lubrication. Other symptoms of dry eye include:
Dry eye is typically chronic. However, the condition can be managed to maintain comfortable vision and reduce symptoms, including blinking pain. Digital Eye Strain & BlinkingOne condition commonly associated with dry eye is digital eye strain (or computer vision syndrome). We blink almost 50% less per minute when we use digital screens. We can’t effectively support the tear film with our reduced blink rate. As a result, we experience dry eyes. In addition to dry eyes, digital eye strain symptoms include:
Digital screens may cause temporary symptoms. Limiting screen time can help alleviate symptoms in most cases. You may try the 20-20-20 rule or artificial tears to refresh your eyes after computer use. However, prolonged and frequent exposure will worsen symptoms. Therefore, it’s crucial to visit an optometrist if you experience symptoms of digital eye strain. We can evaluate your eye health to determine if the cause is a severe vision problem. Relieving Blinking DiscomfortTreating eye pain begins with a diagnosis. Our eye care team can help you learn about the cause of your blinking problem. Your optometrist will examine your eyes and ask you about your lifestyle and environmental factors. By learning about your eye health, we can recommend treatment. If dry eye is the cause, we’ll recommend options for dry eye therapy. The type of treatment we recommend will depend on your eye health, comfort level, and lifestyle. Some treatment options include: Discover Comfortable VisionBlinking should never hurt. Discover Eyecare can help. If you’re experiencing discomfort or vision problems, contact us. We’re dedicated to healthy, comfortable vision for all our patients. Don’t settle for eye pain! Book an appointment today! |