Do your eyes hurt? Many people experience eye discomfort for a multitude of reasons. But it would be best if you never ignored signs of problems with your eyes, particularly when pain or discomfort are involved. This articles has cover some reasons for the question Why Do My Eyes Hurt?
Seeing an optometrist is the best way to understand why your eyes hurt and how to make them feel better. Meanwhile, the eye doctors of Urban Eyecare offer reasons why your eyes hurt and what you can do about them below.
Table of Contents
Reasons for Your Eyes Hurt
Allergies
Allergies are a common cause of eye discomfort and even pain. In fact, your eyes typically feel the transition into allergy season before you even realize what is happening. But even though these allergies and eye effects are common, it cannot be easy to diagnose this cause. That is because eye allergies share common symptoms with a range of eye diseases.
Symptoms of eye allergies, such as part of the condition called allergic conjunctivitis, include:
- Itching
- Swelling
- Redness
- Watering
- Burning
Allergic conjunctivitis(1) is typically seasonal. It involves inflammation of your membranes that cover the white parts of your eyes. You will feel your eyes hurting during seasonal changes when pollen counts are higher than normal.
Your optometrist will diagnose your condition if you have seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC). If you suffer from this allergic reaction, they will recommend changes to your home environment and lifestyle. Some of these changes include:
- Wearing protective eyewear outdoors
- Washing your hands after contact with animals
- Keeping your windows closed during allergy season
- Using bedding that reduces the potential for dust mites
- Regulating mold by using a dehumidifier
- Using filtered air conditioning
Ways to relieve symptoms of your SAC eye problems include allergy pills, allergy shots, decongestant eye drops, oral antihistamines, artificial tears, and a cool compress.
Read: Retinal Vein Occlusion
Contact Lenses
Contact lenses frequently cause discomfort for people wearing them, whether it is their first pair or worn them for years. Not taking care of the lenses is a big problem that can cause your eyes to hurt.
Common conditions associated with contact wear include contact allergic conjunctivitis and giant papillary conjunctivitis. Some symptoms of these conditions include itching, general discomfort, mucus discharge, redness, blurred vision, puffiness, tearing, and the sensation of having something in your eye.
If your contact lenses do not fit properly or if you wear them too long, this can also cause eye irritation. To avoid these problems wear only clean lenses for an appropriate period of time and try changing contact lens types. This may be the reason for your question “why do my eyes hurt when i look around?”
Read: Coloured Contact Lenses
Eye Infection
Your eye discomfort could be part of an eye infection caused by bacterial viruses. These conditions typically start in one eye and progress to the other. They are also contagious for other people around you. Common infections include:
- Pink eye
- Keratitis
- Stye
- Fungal eye infection
- Uveitis
To reduce your risk of catching these infections, do not wear old makeup. Also, keep your contact lenses clean and avoid wearing extended wear contacts for too long. These conditions are similar to allergic eye reactions, such as blurriness, light sensitivity, redness, and pain. Your treatment may include eyelid creams, eye drops, or oral prescriptions.
Read: Home Remedies for Dark Circles
Medical Conditions
Multiple medical conditions can cause eyes to hurt as a side effect. Some examples of these physical conditions include Sjögren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, glaucoma(2), sinus infections, and blepharitis. If you have other health problems and experience eye discomfort, talk to your eye doctor. They can determine whether your hurting eyes relate to your health problems or point to an eye-specific condition.
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