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What Causes Pain In The Right Eye?
Question: I've had a lingering headache behind my right eye for almost a week. Manageable but troubling. I can feel a spot which is tender. Any ideas?
Brief Answer:
Read below
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern. Since it has been several days it requires some attention.
It is unclear where do you feel the tender spot. If it is on the eyebrow or the forehead then one possibility is that of sinusitis. Frontal sinusitis may manifest with pain in the eye area. If you also have a stuffy nose then it is even more likely.
One other diagnosis to be thought of is that of temporal arteritis (or giant cell arteritis) a conditions which causes blood vessel inflammation where sometimes the inflamed vessel may be touched in the temple area. Apart from the physical exam it is diagnosed through a blood test called erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which is elevated. This diagnosis is an emergency and should be considered in any headache in people aged over 60 (doesn't happen in the young).
Other possibilities include simple tension type headache, the most common headache, which doesn't carry any risk. It is exacerbated by stress and anxiety, commonly may report scalp tenderness, usually alleviated by over the counter pain killers like Ibuprofen.
So I think that it is important to exclude the temporal arteritis diagnosis with your doctor as it is an emergency. If that is excluded by blood test and exam then the other possibilities are less worrying.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Read below
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern. Since it has been several days it requires some attention.
It is unclear where do you feel the tender spot. If it is on the eyebrow or the forehead then one possibility is that of sinusitis. Frontal sinusitis may manifest with pain in the eye area. If you also have a stuffy nose then it is even more likely.
One other diagnosis to be thought of is that of temporal arteritis (or giant cell arteritis) a conditions which causes blood vessel inflammation where sometimes the inflamed vessel may be touched in the temple area. Apart from the physical exam it is diagnosed through a blood test called erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which is elevated. This diagnosis is an emergency and should be considered in any headache in people aged over 60 (doesn't happen in the young).
Other possibilities include simple tension type headache, the most common headache, which doesn't carry any risk. It is exacerbated by stress and anxiety, commonly may report scalp tenderness, usually alleviated by over the counter pain killers like Ibuprofen.
So I think that it is important to exclude the temporal arteritis diagnosis with your doctor as it is an emergency. If that is excluded by blood test and exam then the other possibilities are less worrying.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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