Nearly everyone has eye pain at some point in time and it may be something innocuous that resolves on its own. But it also can be a sign of something more serious. Pain in the eye may be described as a burning, throbbing, aching, or stabbing sensation in or around the eye. It may also feel like you have something stuck in your eye.
There are some interesting facts about eye pain: The trigeminal nerve, or fifth cranial nerve, arises from the pons and divides into three main branches, which then subdivide into a complex network of nerves. The first division, which is the ophthalmic nerve, supplies most of the scalp, the upper eyelid, tear gland and cornea. This means that problem in the scalp/ dura can also result in eye pain.
The pain-sensitive cornea has one of the densest sensory plexuses in the body. The cornea is unique in that the trigeminal nerve is only five cell thicknesses from the surface of the body. Nowhere else in the body are bare nerve endings closer to the surface than in the cornea. This is why a tiny foreign body can feel extremely painful.
With multifarious ways to be entangled with eye issues, some can be handled quite easily. So what can one do after they receive an impact injury to the eye during a sports game? 90 per cent of sports injuries to the eye can be prevented by wearing protective eyewear, which is usually made of polycarbonate. However, once the eye is injured, the patient should seek medical attention from an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. And if a dust particle enters your eye, you should try to irrigate as much as possible before consulting an ophthalmologist.
An issue like glaucoma for instance, is a complicated group of diseases in which damage to the optic nerve results in vision loss. There are several forms of glaucoma; the two most common forms are primary open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma.
Open-angle glaucoma is often called “the sneak thief of sight” because it has no symptoms until significant vision loss has occurred. Treatment with eye drops can be started to minimize visual field loss.
Angle-closure glaucoma is caused by blocked drainage canals in the eye, resulting in a sudden rise in intraocular pressure. This is a painful form of glaucoma, which develops very quickly and demands immediate medical attention.
Overall, pain is subjective and highly variable. It cannot be quantified, and it is coloured by emotion and by previous experience. Although there are some characteristics which will distinguish pain from the cornea compared to deeper pain, it is essential to have a detailed eye examination to find out the cause of any kind of eye pain.
Dr Leo Adult & Paediatric Eye Specialist Pte Ltd
3 Mount Elizabeth
#10-04 Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre
Singapore 228510
