Stabbing Pain In Eye. Noticed Tears And Bulging Of Eyeball. Cause?

Posted on Fri, 25 Oct 2013

Question: Hello, I really don't know how to describe the pain in my eye other than to tell you periodically, I have a stabbing pain (feels like a straight pin has pricked the back of my eyeball) in the back of my eye. Immediately, my eye tears up and there is a noticable bulging of my eyeball. A friend noticed it after I complained of the pain and asked her to look in my eye for a foreign object. This does not occur often. Maybe once a month or even every other week. It is a shock everytime it happens. What could be causing this?

Answered by Dr. Dadapeer K (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
The symptoms can be of angle closure glaucoma

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome to Health Care Magic

The history you have given pain in the eye, with watering once in two weeks can be because of prodromal or early symptoms of angle closure glaucoma. Please notice the following points and do reply to the questions to come to differential diagnosis.
Angle closure glaucoma will be the case if
Do you have visual symptoms like seeing colored rings around the light bulbs during eye pain?
Does the headache decrease after sleeping for some time after you have headache?
Does the symptoms are more commonly seen when you are emotionally upset or after working in dim illumination?

If the answer for any of the questions is yes, then I will consider XXXXXXX closure glaucoma has the first differential diagnosis and the condition requires examination and treatment.
Please do reply with the answer for the above questions.

Hope I have answered your query

Thank you

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E

Follow up: Dr. Dadapeer K (9 hours later)

I do not have any other symptoms with the pain. The pain lasts only seconds as it feels like a pin has poked the back of my eyeball. My eyeballsppears larger as though it is bulging...not to a great extent, but enough to be noticable.I notice it does it when I turn my head in any way. I can go weeks without it happenning or it can occur twice in one week. What options do i have if it is glaucoma?

Answered by Dr. Dadapeer K (5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Preventive treatment by using laser

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome to Health care Magic

Thank you for the follow up query.

The treatment options for glaucoma are many and they depend on the clinical type of glaucoma. If at all the disease is there it will be in the initial stages and only requires prophylactic treatment by laser to prevent the development of angle closure glaucoma.

I advice you to undergo evaluation by examination by a ophthalmologist to rule out angle closure suspect. If glaucoma is not there, eye pain may be because of other reasons for which you need not worry and all these may respond to use of simple oral analgesic drugs.

Hope I have answered your query.

Thank you

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar