Why Does My Eye Hurt When I Blink? 8 Causes & Treatments

  Last Updated on January 11, 2024 by Aaron Barriga

It’s blissful to have your eyes at ease and in good shape. However, you realize it only when eye irritation occurs. Eye symptoms, such as twitching eyelids or pain in the eye while blinking, can ruin your day.
Painful eye when blinking is one symptom that demands our attention. Your blinks occur 900 to 1,200 times each hour. Thus it can be very distracting and uncomfortable if your eyes ache while doing it.

8 Leading Causes of Eye Pain When Blinking & How to Treat Them

Why does my eye hurt when I blink? Check out which are the 8 common causes of eye pain when blinking.

1. Eye Injury

   Discomfort from acute injuries or debris might hurt your eye or the eye socket while blinking. Rubbing or touching the eye can easily result in a scratched eye, which is pretty common. Your eye also gets injured by too much UV light exposure.
   Protection of eyes from UV rays via wearing sunglasses, taking medications, and applying eye drops can be possible treatment options for eye injury.

2. Conjunctivitis

   Conjunctivitis is the inflammation of the transparent membrane that covers your eye and the inside of the eyelid. Your blood vessels may swell, resulting in the eyes turning red and hurting. Infection-related conjunctivitis can spread quickly and cause eye pain when blinking. Hay fever and pet allergy may lead to conjunctivitis.
   It can be treated at home by applying a cool compress and lubricating eye drops. Not rubbing your eyes and not wearing contact lenses also help to provide relief.

3. Dry Eye Syndrome

   Tear production gets interfered with in dry eye syndrome, sometimes called dry eye illness. As a result, your eyes get dry and irritated. It could cause discomfort and pain when you blink. It often results from digital eye strain and fatigue, which can be prevented by taking regular breaks from the screen and resting. Eye drops are also effective in some cases.

4. Stye

   Staphylococcus aureus, also known as “staph,” is a type of bacteria that most commonly causes stye and can transmit to other people through close contact. In stye, oil glands on the eyelid or the follicles of the eyelashes become infected. It results in eyelid swelling, which makes blinking painful.
   You can treat a stye at home via warm compress. Also, avoid wearing eye makeup for some days.

5. Blepharitis (Eye Inflammation)

   Your answer to why my eyes hurt when I blink can be blepharitis if this pain is accompanied by bacterial infection, a clogged gland, or skin diseases like seborrheic dermatitis. The inflammation of the upper or lower eyelid margins is known as blepharitis. Blinking can aggravate irritated eyelids and make them hurt.
   This condition can also be managed with home remedies such as warm compress and eyelid massage. Keeping your eyes clean also helps.

6. Tear Duct Infection

   Your eyes have a duct for passing the tears. It is called a tear duct. If this duct gets blocked due to anything such as debris, your eyes may catch an infection. This often causes pain in your eyes when blinking.
   Eye drops and antibiotics can quickly cure tear duct infection. Surgery may be required in rare cases.

7. Corneal Ulcer

   An open sore that appears on the surface of the eye is known as a corneal ulcer. They typically result from infection but can also arise from wounds like burns or scratches.
   Typically, antibiotic, antiviral, or antifungal medications are used to treat corneal ulcers. Its symptoms can be lessened by applying a cool compress and not touching or rubbing the eye. Surgery may be necessary if your condition gets worse.

8. Sinusitis

   Painful eyes when blinking, face tenderness, blocked nose, headache, etc. indicate sinusitis. It’s an inflammation of the sinuses due to viral infection. Sinuses are the tiny cavities around your eyes and nose.
   Sinusitis symptoms can be managed at home through OTC pain relief medications, warm compress, saline solution, and breathing in steam.

What Can Happen If Eyes Continue to Pain When Blinking?

If your eye pain during blinking continues because you don’t get your inflammation or injury treated in time, you may face the following repercussions:-

• You may lose your complete or partial vision permanently.
• Your infection may dangerously spread further.
• Your eyes and cornea can get permanently damaged.

When Should I Go to the Doctor for Eye Pain?

If the pain you feel while blinking is not subsiding despite using all the home remedies mentioned in this article, you should meet your eye doctor ASAP. Here are some symptoms that require the eye doctor’s immediate attention to develop the best course of treatment.

• Pain in the depth of your eye
• Redness of the eye
• Inflammation in eyelid or eyelash follicles
• Disturbance in vision
• Pressure in eye
• Sensitivity to light
• Headaches

Treat it as a medical emergency if the following symptoms accompany your blinking pain:-

• Flashing lights or halos around lights
• Excruciating pain when touching your eye or otherwise also
• Bulging eyes so much that it becomes difficult closing your eyelids
• Vomiting or abdominal pain
• Vision loss

It’s not difficult to cure eye pain when blinking, provided you don’t delay visiting your eye doctor if the pain persists. They can detect the correct cause of eye pain when blinking through a detailed eye exam and prescribe a suitable treatment.

Call us now to connect with our team of experienced eye doctors in Fresno.

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