The eyes are one of the most delicate features God created in the human body. Along with having complicated anatomy and many precautionary measurements, they need constant care as they get hurt easily. Why do my eyes hurt? How can I heal my eye strain and eye sore?
Aside from that, the eyes are also one of the most beautiful features God placed on a human’s face. A glance directly into one’s eyes is enough to make someone fall in love with you. So, take care of your eyes for that special someone (wink wink).
The pain in your eyes, also known as ophthalmia, is often caused by the dryness that occurs on the surface of your eyeball, a medical condition that needs to be treated, or a foreign object that enters your eye.
Read to find out.
The anatomy of the eye
The eye has complicated anatomy. The protective layer that protects and covers your eyes for you to see is called a cornea. Right next to your cornea is a clear mucous membrane that lines the outside of your eyeball which we call conjunctiva.
The iris controls the amount of light that enters the black-colored part of your eye, called the pupil. The cornea covers the pupil and gives it a protective layer. Lastly, the white area surrounding your iris and pupil is called the sclera.
The lens focuses light on the retina. By triggering nerve impulses, the optic nerve of the retina causes images of what you see with your eye to form in your brain. The different directions our eyeball moves in are due to the muscles surrounding our eyes.
What causes pain in our eyes?
Several factors cause our eyes to hurt. The severity of these factors determines the severity of strain and soreness we feel in our eyes, and treatments are taken accordingly. The pain can cause you to squint your eyes shut or blink rapidly to relieve the pain.
Cluster headaches
If you have cluster headaches one after another, you will most likely feel pain in or behind one of your eyes. Although cluster headaches are extremely painful, they are not life-threatening. Symptoms include redness and watering in the eyes which can be cured with appropriate medication.
Vernal conjunctivitis
This strain and soreness are caused by the swelling of the eye’s outer line due to an allergic reaction. This is an inherited disease that occurs if your ancestors had heavy allergies and diseases such as asthma, eczema, or allergic rhinitis.
The vernal conjunctive can usually be cured by using over-the-counter eyedrops, but it is strongly advised to consult your physician and eye doctor before using any.
The symptoms include watering of both eyes, itching in the eyes, redness forming in the eyes, and high sensitivity to light.
Orbital Cellulitis
This is a serious infection that causes the orbit that holds the eyeball (the bony cavity) to hurt. This infection causes the eyes, eyelids, eyebrows, and cheeks to swell. Overdue treatment of this disease can cause blindness in the eye.
This eye infection is not to be taken lightly and an immediate visit to the doctor is strongly advised. If you are lucky, the diseases will be healed by using antibiotics and eye drops. However, if the condition is severe, you might be rushed into the emergency room.
Blepharitis
Also referred to as an inflamed eye, blepharitis is a bacterial skin infection at the base of the eyelashes.
This disease may be triggered by eye makeup that causes clots to form that block the gland from the scalp and eyebrows.
Symptoms of blepharitis include
- Red and swollen eyelids
- Oily or dandruff flakes that form on the skin or base of eyes
- Abnormal growth or rapid falling of eyelashes
The inflamed eye can be cured with the help of hygienic precautions. If that does not work, it is best to visit a doctor as negligence may lead to infections of the cornea, dry eyes that cannot cope with contact lenses, or cause the eyelids to scar or deform.
A foreign body that enters the eye
This is an easy cause of eye soreness and strain. The delicate eye is not able to bare even a fleck of wood that enters it. Our daily routine persuades us into the outside world where dust particles and metal flecks are waiting to harm the eye. Those who wear glasses might have an edge here, but even optics cannot prevent all particles from entering the eye.
In case this happens, it is advised to immediately remove the substance that entered the eye before it goes deeper in. After that, sprinkle your eyes with fresh water to remove the remnants of the substance.
Excessive use of technology
This is a cause commonly found in generation Z. Staying up late till night and using technologies (especially without the eye comfort feature) causes a high amount of strain to form in the eye which leads to headaches and even insomnia.
It is advised not to use any kind of technical device for at least an hour before going to bed.
Conclusion
These are only a few of the many factors that cause pain in the eye. The best solution is to avoid anything that triggers a reaction that will hurt your eyes, or at least keep these activities to a minimum.
Other than that, it is strongly advised to visit your doctor at least once every month to have the stress and strain level of your eyes checked.
