When there is a feeling of a pressure behind left side of the eye, it is not necessarily due to the problem in the inner parts of eye. The pain behind left eye generally starts from somewhere else especially head. The eye conditions can even result in slight pain as well as vision problems but they do not result in exerting pressure behind the eyes under normal circumstances.
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What is Pain Behind Left Eye?
The headache behind eyes and pain in eye socket normally feel like a pressure which generally starts from somewhere else not the eye. There are certain medical conditions which can result in pain but in such conditions of eye no pressure is felt at all. The medical conditions are glaucoma which is caused as a result of pressure buildup inside the eyes but the feeling of pressure is missing in the condition. Pink eye and eye allergies can cause pain but in this condition too no pressure is felt. The headache behind eyes is actually a sharp and stabbing pain with burning sensation. When the pressure is felt behind the eyes it is like sensation of fullness inside the eye. Pain behind eye with movement of eye ball is generally caused by headache behind eyes.
Causes of Pain Behind Left Eye:
The headache behind eyes or pain behind left eye is caused due to some conditions which are mentioned below:
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Sinusitis:
The problems with sinuses generally blocked sinuses or sinusitis results in pain behind left eye, headache behind eyes, pressure behind left eye, and pain behind right eye. The infection is caused when pathogens gain entry in the space behind eyes. This results in acute pain behind nose, eyes and cheeks. The sinus inflammation results in swelling and stuffy or mucus filled nose. The pressure is felt on the upper parts of the face due to nasal congestion, jaws and behind the eyes. Some of the main symptoms of sinus infection or sinusitis include greenish thick mucus which occasionally drains from the nose with intense to moderate cough. Bad breath, fever, fatigue even on slight exertion, headache behind eyes, fever in advanced cases.
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Grave’s disease:
It is an auto immune disease in which the immune system of the body attacks the body’s own thyroid glands. As a result of this the affected thyroid glands produce thyroxin in larger amount which results in abnormalities in the muscles of eyes and result in abnormal bulging of eyes. Pain is felt and gets intense with the movement of eyes, some other symptoms of Grave’s disease are, feeling of some particle stuck in the eyes which result in sharp and needle like pain in eye, puffy and reddish eyes, loss of vision etc. Headache behind eyes or headache above left eye is also caused due to Grave’s disease.
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Headaches:
There are two types of headaches which generally result in pain and pressure behind eyes. Tension and cluster headaches are also common types of headaches and as per estimate almost 80% of the modern day population suffers from tension headaches. Sinus eye pain, pressure behind left eye, pressure behind right eye are also felt while suffering tension or cluster headaches. The cluster headaches are generally too severe and result in extreme pain and soreness of neck or shoulder muscles, drooping of eye lids and swelling in the face.
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Optic neuritis:
It is a disease which is somewhat similar to multiple sclerosis or lupus and results in inflammation and swelling behind the eyes. As a result of swelling sometimes the optic nerve is damaged this is responsible for the transmission of visual signals from eyes to brain. Headache above left eye is felt due to this condition. Some other symptoms of this disease are loss of vision, loss of colored vision, pain in eyes which intensify while moving the eyes, light flashes in eyes etc.
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Tooth pain:
Tooth pain directly has no affect on the eyes directly but in extreme toothache, the jaw alignment can create tension in the face which results in headache. Headache above left eye can also be felt due to tooth pain. Another reason of headache above left eye is intercranial aneurysm.
When to Call your Doctor?
Headache above left eye is not a condition where immediate medical supervision is needed. However in some conditions you need to consult your health care provider. Contact your doctor immediately if you experience loss of vision accompanied with high fever and severe headache above left eye, loss of sensation or movement or numbness in any part of the body. If you are experiencing pain in jaws, wisdom tooth pain or any other associated dental problem which is causing pain in face and eyes, you need to consult a dentist. The dentist will examine the jaws and find out the probability of misalignment in jaws which might be causing muscular strain and pressure behind eyes along with headache.
Recommended Reading: Causes of Headache Behind Left Eye
Treatment options for Pain Behind Left Eye:
Pain behind left eye, headache above left eye is caused due to several reasons. There are certain options of treatment depending on the exact cause of pain. In simple cases, the use of pain killers like Ibuprofen is helpful. At home for mild pain you can use hot or cold compress for the relief. The headache above left eye is treated by following options:
- 5- -hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) can provide immediate relief against migraine as it is considered as a natural pain killer and affects the blood circulation to brain.
- In most of the patients suffering from migraine, it is seen that they are deficient in Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). The same substance can be used to reduce the intensity of headaches.
- Magnesium is also deficient in most of the people suffering from migraines, the administration of magnesium can relax the blood vessels to improve the flow of blood to eyes.
- Low glycemic diet can balance the blood sugar level and it is also advised to the patients experiencing pain behind eyes.
Bottom line:
It can be summarized that pain behind left eye is caused by number of different factors. Under normal circumstances the pain behind eyes is mild and is not a big concern. In some conditions when the optic nerve gets damaged it can result in loss of vision and intense headaches. The immediate consultation with doctor is needed in case of any associated symptom along with such pain.
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