Headaches can cause pain in various parts of the head, including behind the eyes. Whether or not a headache causes pain behind your eyes depends on the type of headache you have.
Common causes like migraine or sinus infections can cause headaches behind your eyes. Other times, may be caused by a more serious or rare headache.
Knowing what’s causing your headaches behind your eyes can help you better treat the pain — and prevent it from occurring in the future.
What Causes Headaches Behind Your Eyes?
Different types of headaches can cause headaches behind the eyes. It is not clear what exactly causes the headache. It is believed to involve the transmission of pain messages through the trigeminal nerve. It is a nerve that has three branches in the head. One of the branches is your eyes.
Here are the types of headaches that can cause headaches behind your eyes:
Tension-type headache
This is the most common type of headache. It happens when you’re stressed or tense. For example, tension-type headaches may be caused by anxiety, depression, intense physical exertion, or lack of sleep or proper nutrition. It usually starts around your eyes or forehead and spreads to other parts of your head.
Tension-type headaches can be episodic or chronic. Episodic tension-type headaches occur 10-15 days a month and can last from 30 minutes to two days. The pain in episodic tension-type headaches usually increases with the frequency of the headaches. Chronic tension-type headache lasts for more than 15 days three-month period.
Digital Eye Strain
Tension-type headache caused by digital eye strain especially affects the back of the eyes. Staring at a screen like a computer, phone, or tablet for long periods can tire your eyes. This is a common problem, with 50% of computer users experiencing digital eye strain.
Apart from headaches behind the eyes, digital eye strain can cause symptoms like blurry vision when looking at a screen, dry eyes, and difficulty focusing your eyes after looking at a screen.
Migraine Headache
Migraine is a condition that causes severe, persistent headaches on one side of your head. In addition to one eye, migraine sufferers may also experience pain behind one ear or in one temple. Apart from headaches, you may also experience nausea, weakness, and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraines can last 4-72 hours.1
About 12% of Americans experience migraines regularly. The cause of migraine varies from person to person. Research suggests that migraine may have a genetic component. Some major triggers of migraine include:
- Stress or anxiety
- Bright or flashing light
- Loud sound or strong smell
- Sudden change in weather or climate
- Too much physical activity
- Tobacco or alcohol
- Aspartame (an artificial sweetener)
Migraine headaches usually occur in the morning. Some people experience migraines in a pattern, such as before menstruation or after particularly strenuous physical or mental activity.
Sinus Headache
Your sinuses are empty passages in the skull, connected to the nasal cavity, that allows the movement of air and drainage of mucus. You have sinuses behind your eyes, as well as in each cheekbone, behind the nose, and on the forehead.
When these sinuses become inflamed, you have what is called a sinus infection or sinusitis. This swelling can be caused by allergies or infections like the common cold. Some people may experience chronic sinusitis.
Inflammation causes swelling and fluid retention. This not only makes it difficult to breathe through your nose but also causes pain behind the eyes. You may also feel pain in the forehead and jaw.
Apart from sinus headache, other symptoms of sinusitis include a blocked nose, cough, and fever.
Cluster Headache
Cluster headache is a rare, extremely painful type of headache. The type of headache gets its name from the way it occurs – once during the day or night for several weeks.
Cluster headaches cause pain on one side of the head, behind the eye. The pain can last from 15 minutes to three hours and usually starts two to three hours after you go to bed.
In addition to sharp or persistent pain, you may experience watery eyes, swollen eyes, droopy eyelids, and nasal congestion.
Some research suggests that cluster headaches are related to the sudden release of histamine in the trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for allergic reactions in our body.
Paroxysmal Hemicrania
Paroxysmal hemicrania is another rare type of headache. Although paroxysmal hemicrania does not last as long, its symptoms are similar to those of a cluster headache. while a cluster
Paroxysmal Hemicrania
Paroxysmal hemicrania is another rare type of headache. Although paroxysmal hemicrania does not last as long, its symptoms are similar to those of a cluster headache. Cluster headache lasts from 15 minutes to three hours, while paroxysmal hemicrania can last 2–45 minutes.
Paroxysmal hemicrania also occurs more frequently than cluster headaches, typically affecting a person 5–40 times a day.
The pain of paroxysmal hemicrania may be described as throbbing or stabbing. In addition to behind the eye, you may also experience pain around the eye, on one side of the face, or in the back of the neck.
What can cause headaches behind the eyes?
Triggers for headaches behind the eyes can vary from person to person and depend on what is causing the pain behind your eyes. Typically, common headache triggers include:
- missed meals
- depression, anxiety or stress
- alcohol and cigarette consumption
- insufficient sleep
- bright light or loud noise
- hot weather or hot baths
- foods rich in nitrates, such as bacon and cured meats
- high altitude (specific for migraine)
How are headaches behind the eyes treated?
Headaches behind the eyes can be treated in several ways. You can try home remedies to ease your symptoms, including:
- Close your eyes and relax in a quiet room
- Place a cool towel or cloth on your forehead
- Drink plenty of fluids
Some types of headaches may benefit from specific treatments. For example, natural remedies such as vitamin B2 or magnesium may help with migraines. Reducing your screen time can help relieve tension-related headaches.
Over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medications can help relieve headaches behind your eyes. For example, OTC pain relievers such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen) may provide relief. Prescription painkillers may also help if the headache is not severe.
You may also be prescribed medications such as Reyvow (lasmiditan) and Ubrelvy (ubrogepant), which are pills that can treat migraines in the short term. Meanwhile, Emgality (galcanezumab) injection may be used to treat cluster headaches.
Non-pharmacological treatments may include relaxation techniques, biofeedback (getting better control over how your body reacts to things), and oxygen therapy. The treatment plan your healthcare provider recommends for you will depend on the type of headache causing the pain behind your eyes and how often you get headaches.
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When to contact a health care provider?
Most headaches that cause pain behind your eyes do not require medical care and can be treated with home remedies, OTC medications, or lifestyle changes. However, sometimes headaches behind the eyes may indicate a more serious problem that requires intervention.
You should contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience a headache behind the eyes along with any of the following symptoms:
- Stiff neck
- Fever
- Nausea or vomiting
- Headache, followed by confusion, double vision, and loss of consciousness – especially if it is your first or worst headache ever
- A headache that gets worse day by day
- severe weakness in any part of the body
- Shrinkage
How to avoid headaches behind your eyes?
Preventing headaches behind your eyes can help you avoid symptoms that affect your daily life. Keeping track of the causes of this type of headache can help you identify specific activities or foods to avoid. Doing this can also help you identify if you are experiencing headaches at certain times of the day, which may be helpful for you to take steps to avoid.
Stress management strategies like exercise, meditation, and regular sleep can be good preventive measures to prevent some headaches like migraine.
