Headache behind left eye may be brought about by changes in the altitude or pressure. This would usually fade away a few minutes after the intake of pain medications. However, there are also serious conditions that could cause prolonged and persistent headache behind left eye. It is vital to seek the doctor’s advice especially if the pain in has become very persistent. The earlier detection of the cause would help in the effectiveness of the treatment for headache behind left eye.
Causes of Headache behind Left Eye
- Pressure Headaches – The headache behind left eye may be due to the pressure applied on the optic nerves of the left eye. The pressure would stretch the nerves and surrounding tissues and causing the pain receptors to be released. Some instances wherein pressure is exerted on the nerves near the left eye are:
- Sudden changes in altitude from lower to higher, or vice versa.
- Sinus congestion near the left eye may also activate pain receptors.
- Eye problems such as glaucoma could also add pressure on the nerves near the left eye and would result to headache.
- Cluster Headache – Cluster headache is common. This is when the origin of the headache is situated on one area only. Headache behind left eye is an example. It usually occurs two to three hours after falling asleep. Sometimes it can wake you up because of its intensity which can last from 15 to 30minutes.
- Eye Migraines – Eye migraines occur only on one eye. The symptoms of which include congestion, nausea, double vision, dilated pupils and drooping eyelid. This is a serious condition so when you feel a piercing headache behind the left eye that seems to occur on a regular basis, it is very important to report this immediately to your doctor.
- Papilloedema – Papilloedema is brought about by serious medical conditions such as inflammation, brain tumors and hemorrhages. Due to this condition, the optic nerve would collect fluids that would result in swelling and pain in the region in which the fluid has gathered. This is also one of the reasons for headache behind left eye.
Treatment for Headache behind Left Eye
Pain medications are usually prescribed by the doctors in order to alleviate the pain. The following preventive measures are also advised in order to lessen the occurrence of headache behind left eye:
- Avoid alcohol intake and cigarette smoking as these may add pressure to the nerves near the left eye and would then trigger the headache.
- Avoid drugs that alter the hormones such as contraceptives as these would cause the vessels to constrict stimulating headache behind left eye.
- Avoid food that consists of nitrates. Nitrates are also factors that could trigger headaches. Processed food is a common example for this.
Headache behind left eye may arise due to simple factors such as a change in altitude. This kind of pain may be alleviated with the use of pain medications and anti-inflammatory drugs. However, if the pain is very persistent and has occurred for more than a week already, the cause may be graver, so it is best to seek medical attention before the condition worsens.
