You wake up one day only to find you now have eye pain. On top of the pain, you have more questions than you have answers. “How long will the pain last?” Or, “is there anything I can do to alleviate the pain?” Most importantly, “what is causing my eye pain?”
The only way to have your questions answered is to schedule an appointment with your eye doctor – optometrist or ophthalmologist. He/she will use a variety of tools and techniques to diagnose your situation. These tools include:
- Slit-Lamp Exam: Your eye doctor uses a bright light to look into the structures of the eye.
- Dilating Drops: Your doctor uses drops to dilate the pupil. This allows him/her to see deep into the eye.
- Tonometer: A small amount of pressure is applied to the eye (typically a puff of air) while your eye doctor uses a tonometer to measure intraocular pressure (IOP), also known as eye pressure. Normal eye pressure is 12-21 mm Hg.
These tests will help your eye doctor determine the cause of your eye pain, which can be caused by a number of different conditions, ranging from conjunctivitis (pink eye), stye, and corneal abrasion to glaucoma and more.
Questions your Eye Doctor will ask
- Where is your Eye Pain located? Eye pain can be located in the eye (cornea, sclera, iris, etc.) or the structures around it (eyelids, nerves, extraocular muscles, orbit, etc.).
- What other Symptoms are you experiencing? Additional symptoms can include decreased vision, discharge, foreign body sensation, headache, nausea and vomiting, light sensitivity, red eye, tearing, etc. These additional symptoms are clues that can help your eye doctor diagnose the cause of your eye pain.
Eye Pain Treatment
Treatment is dependent on the cause of your eye pain. This is why it is so important to schedule an appointment with your eye doctor. In many situations, as with glaucoma, early detection and early treatment are crucial to protect your vision.
If you have any questions about the Causes of Eye Pain or wish to schedule an appointment with Anne Arundel Eye Center, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, Dr. Corinne Casey, and the eye care specialists here at AAEC by calling 410-224-2010 or visiting AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!
For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.
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