What Are the Causes of a Headache Behind the Eyes?

A headache behind eyes may or may not be a throbbing ache.

A headache behind the eyes is an uncomfortable sensation that is felt around or on the back of the eye, which may or may not be a throbbing ache. A headache may occur due to a primary cause or as a secondary cause due to an illness or injury. Read on to find out about the causes, triggers, and treatment.

We feel pain from a headache because the trigeminal nerve that provides sensation to the head, face, and neck, sends pain signals to the brain in response to headache triggers. A headache behind eyes is an ocular pain headache, meaning, it causes eye pain and headache. Both adults and children get headaches, and women are three times more likely to get headaches than men.

Headaches may be primary, where headache itself is the condition, or secondary due to another underlying disorder.

• Primary headaches include migraines, tension headaches, cluster headaches, and chronic headaches. Primary headaches are caused by headache triggers such as tension, certain smells, dehydration, hunger, lack of sleep, some foods, or ingestion of or withdrawal from certain medications.
• Secondary headaches are caused by an underlying condition such as a brain tumor, brain injury, aneurysm, stroke, seizure, infection and inflammation in the brain, eye disorders, spinal fluid leak, increase in intracranial pressure, or neurological conditions such as trigeminal neuralgia.

A headache behind eyes may be caused by multiple reasons, such as:

• Tension headaches: They are the most common type of headaches usually lasting for several days. Tension headaches result when the head and neck muscles become tense and contract. They are experienced as mild aches either on both sides of the head or as a band of headache between eyes. Tension headaches appear after continuous and close focus on an activity and worsen as the day progresses.
• Migraines: Throbbing pain from a migraine headache almost always includes pain behind the eyes. Migraines can cause pain around the eyes and temple area, spreading behind the eyes to the back of the head. They are often associated with nausea, weakness, and mood changes. Migraines usually cause eye and head pain on one side, but young children tend to feel migraine pain on both sides of the head.
• Cluster headaches: A headache behind the left eye or right eye means you have a cluster headache. They occur in cycles, often for several days or weeks, and then disappear for months. They cause severe one-sided headaches with extreme pain behind or around one eye, occurring more frequently in men than in women. Patients often have a droopy eyelid, red watery eyes, and a stuffy runny nose on the affected side.
• Sinus headaches: They appear most often during allergy flare-ups. Sinusitis or sinus inflammation causes pain and pressure behind the eyes and tenderness in front of the face. Symptoms are similar to those of migraines and cluster headaches, misleading people.
• Occipital neuralgia: It is a headache that begins in the upper neck or back of the head, moving behind the eyes and across the scalp with bursts of pain. This type of headache often affects people prone to migraines and is a result of an irritation or injury of the occipital nerves.
• Brain aneurysm: Pain is intense. This occurs when an artery wall in the brain becomes weak and bursts resulting in hemorrhage and/or a stroke.
• Angle-closure glaucoma: It can cause nausea, severe pain in and around the affected eye, and headache above the left eye or right eye. Glaucoma is an eye disease with high intraocular pressure that damages the optic nerves, causing peripheral vision loss, blurred vision, halos around lights, and difficulty in adapting to darkness.
• Graves' disease: It is an autoimmune eye disorder associated with thyroid gland abnormalities. It usually affects both eyes but can affect only one eye, or one more than the other. It can cause a headache behind the eyes and is characterized by bulging eyes, eyelid retraction, limited eye mobility, double vision or vision loss, and red or pink eyes.
• Scleritis (inflammation of the sclera): This is an eyeball headache with stabbing pain behind the eyes caused by an inflammation of the sclera, the outer coating of the eyeball. Scleritis is commonly caused by autoimmune disorders (an allergic response to the body's protein), and the symptoms include a headache behind the eyes, red or pink eyes, tearing and blurred vision, and light sensitivity.
• Optic neuritis: Optic neuritis is inflammation and swelling of the optic nerve often caused by certain autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis. It usually affects one eye. Optic neuritis causes pain in, around, and behind the eye which gets worse with eye movements, visual disturbances, headache, and nausea.
• Dry eyes: A condition where the eyes are unable to produce enough tears to moisten the eyes causing sensitivity to light, which leads to pain behind eyes.
• Vision problems: People with vision problems such as farsightedness, nearsightedness, or astigmatism are more prone to headaches behind eyes due to compromised vision.
• Eye strain: Eye headache or eye head pain is caused by eye strain from trying to read/see in poor lighting, reading without giving rest to the eyes, using an outdated prescription for glasses/contact lenses, driving long distances, and exposure to glare.
• Dengue Fever: A viral infection spread by mosquitos, can have pain behind the eyes as a prominent symptom.
• Poor posture: Muscle strain and poor posture in adults can lead to misalignments in the soft tissues around the neck and over time this weakens the surrounding area, causing frequent headaches behind eyes.

A headache behind eyes may also be triggered by the following:

• Alcohol use
• Heat and dehydration
• Smoking
• Lack of sleep
• Strong smells
• Loud noise
• Bright lights
• Hunger
• Stress
• Fatigue
• Lack of sleep
• Hormonal changes
• Infection or illness

Medication

Over-the-counter and prescription pain medications are used to temporarily relieve pain.

Other Treatments

Other effective treatments to prevent and treat headaches include:

• Resting in a dark room
• Avoiding headache triggers
• Using ice packs
• Placing a warm compress over the eyes
• Getting regular exercise
• Eating regular meals
• Avoiding long gaps between meals
• Avoiding processed foods
• Getting regular sleep
• Avoiding alcohol
• Avoiding smoking/tobacco
• Avoiding or limiting caffeine intake
• Maintaining proper posture
• Drinking adequate water
• Resting
• Practicing relaxation techniques such as yoga or deep breathing
• Getting regular eye exams and obtaining corrective lenses or glasses

If a headache is recurrent or worsens or if any of the symptoms are out of the ordinary, you should seek medical attention.

How can I relieve a headache behind my eyes?

For immediate relief of an occasional headache behind eyes, you can take an over-the-counter (OTC) headache medication such as acetaminophen, or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like naproxen or ibuprofen. But if you have frequent headaches, taking these medications may result in overuse and loss of efficacy, and they may even trigger overuse headaches. Chronic headaches may require treatment with prescription drugs, depending on the type of headache you have.

Can stress cause headaches behind eyes?

Yes, stress causes tension in your facial and scalp muscles making them contract which results in headaches behind eyes.

Are headaches behind eyes a sign of eye problems?

Eye problems are one of the causes of headaches behind eyes. Check your eye health with an ophthalmologist, and use corrective glasses if necessary. If the eyes and vision are normal, there may be other reasons for your headache that will require diagnosis from your doctor.

What home remedies help with headaches behind eyes?

Learning what triggers your headaches and avoiding them is the best way to prevent or reduce the intensity of headaches behind eyes. Some home remedies that can help:

• Drink some water, you may be dehydrated
• Drink some tea, or something with a moderate amount of caffeine
• Use an ice pack or cold compress, or try a warm heating pad
• Try meditation techniques and deep breathing exercises
• Gently massage your forehead, scalp, and the region around your eyes
• Lie down in a quiet, darkened room and rest, or try to sleep
• Take an OTC painkiller

Can sinus infections cause headaches behind eyes?

Sinus infections cause inflammation in the sinuses and can cause a dull and continuous headache above and around your eyes, forehead, cheeks, nose, and upper teeth. With a sinus headache, you will usually also have nasal congestion and discharge, and sometimes fever.

When should I see a doctor for a headache behind eyes?

Primary headaches with known patterns can be usually treated at home, they are not serious. But some conditions that cause headaches behind eyes can be serious or even life-threatening, and you should see a doctor for diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

See your doctor if:

• You are not usually prone to headaches and frequent headaches are a new development.
• Your headache pain and pattern change.
• Your usual treatments are not working.
• You have side effects from your medications.
• You need to take headache medicines more than 3 times a week.
• Your headaches get more severe when you are lying down.
• You are pregnant or plan to get pregnant. You should not be taking certain medicines.

Seek emergency care if:

• Your headache starts very suddenly and/or it is extremely intense.
• You have a headache above the right eye or left eye only, and you also have facial drooping and arm weakness on the same side.
• Your headache is accompanied by vision, speech, movement, and balance problems.
• You have repeated vomiting with your headache.
• You develop a high fever or stiff neck with your headache.

What is the fastest way to bring down eye pressure?

Applying your prescribed eye drops is probably the fastest way to bring down eye pressure. There is no magic bullet for getting your eye pressure to drop instantly, but the following are some measures you can follow regularly to lower your intraocular pressure:

• Eat a healthy and balanced diet, and maintain a normal blood sugar level. This can improve your general health as well. Include in your diet, salmon, nuts, dark leafy greens, and other foods that contain nutrients such as fatty acids and vitamins A, C, and E, which are beneficial to eye health.
• Reduce the amount of caffeine in your diet.
• Stay active and follow a regular exercise regimen. Check with your eye doctor first which are the right exercises for you, because some exercises can aggravate the condition.
• Elevate your head to about 20 degrees when you sleep.
• Do not miss taking/applying your prescribed medications or keeping up your regular appointments with your ophthalmologist.