Headaches Caused by Vision

Headaches can be caused by a variety of ocular conditions. Other conditions can cause secondary headaches that seem to be caused by the eyes but that are actually unrelated. Common eye conditions that cause headaches include eye strain, migraines, glaucoma, and uveitis.

Eye strain

• Eye strain, also sometimes called eye fatigue, causes symptoms such as headache, fluctuating vision, inability to focus close up, or a burning eye sensation.

Migraines

• Migraine headaches can both trigger eye pain and be triggered by eye pain. Symptoms include intense pain on one side of the head, impacts to vision, light sensitivity, and nausea.

Glaucoma

• Glaucoma, which can cause blindness, is a disorder where the nerve that carries visual information is damaged over time. When pressure in the eye spikes, it can cause headache along with eye pain, redness, tearing, blurred vision, and nausea or vomiting.

Uveitis

• Uveitis is inflammation of the uvea, or iris. Severe headache typically accompanies uveitis, along with redness in the eye, visible bulging of the eye, and sensitivity to light.

Non-ocular conditions

• Headaches can seem to be caused by the eyes because of the location of the pain, but frequently are caused by another condition. For example, giant cell arteritis (GCA) causes inflammation of the linings of arteries. The arteries most typically affected are the ones in your head, and one of the symptoms is headaches.