How Headaches and Vision Are Connected
Headaches are one of the most common physical ailments. The World Health Organization estimates that one in twenty adults struggle with frequent headaches, experiencing daily or weekly pain.
Headaches can stem from a variety of causes, one of which is poor vision. If you think a vision problem causes your headaches, we advise you to visit Will Vision and Laser Centers. Here, our team will inform you of our personalized vision solutions performed by one of the top refractive surgeons in the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Brian Will.
Vision Problems Caused by Headaches
Headaches often cause vision symptoms, especially migraines. Patients with migraines frequently report pain around the eye area. Vision symptoms are common in migraines and may include:
- Light sensitivity
- Seeing flashing lights, rainbow prisms, and shimmering lights
- Migraine auras, or seeing flashing lights right before a headache strikes, can occur without the development of a headache.
Cluster headaches are another type of headache that causes visual symptoms. Cluster headaches are severe headaches that typically happen in alternating bouts. Patients may have headache symptoms every day for a month, and then none at all for an extended period.
Eye symptoms associated with cluster headaches include:
- Tearing
- Red eyes
- Drooping eyelids
- Changes in pupil size
Migraines and cluster headaches can be debilitating. The vision changes associated with these headaches can exacerbate the pain and discomfort associated with these types of headaches.
Vision Problems that Cause Headaches
Headaches can cause vision changes, but the reverse is also true. Poor vision may be a primary cause of your headaches. If you’re overworking the eyes, a headache may shortly follow. Correcting your vision with glasses, contacts, or LASIK surgery can improve your vision and alleviate this type of headache.
- Eye Strain – Overusing the focusing muscles around the eye can lead to tension and eye strain, and sometimes headaches. The overuse of electronic screens causes computer vision syndrome. It is a frequent cause of eye strain and is commonly seen in patients that work using a computer. Give your eyes a break several times an hour when you’re using computers to reduce headaches.
- Far Sightedness – Uncorrected farsightedness can cause headaches. LASIK surgery or other vision correction can relieve the strain on your eyes and reduce headaches.
- Presbyopia – Everyone’s vision takes a nosedive sometime in their late 40s. As you age, the lens in your eye becomes less flexible, leading to a condition called presbyopia. This condition makes it difficult to focus and is the reason that many older adults wear reading glasses. Reading glasses can reduce eye strain and headaches from presbyopia, but many of our patients dislike the hassle of using them. Surgical treatments, including Lifestyle LASIK solutions for age-related vision changes.
Your Headache and Vision Solution Specialist
Vision and headaches are linked. If you’re experiencing headaches, visit your eye doctor to find out if your eyes are the cause and explore potential solutions. Treating vision problems can reduce headaches, and treating headaches can reduce vision problems. Contact Will Vision and Laser Centers by calling (877) 542-3937 to schedule a consultation with us.