If you experience frequent headaches, visiting the eye doctor might not be the first solution to come to mind. Yet, one common eye condition — eye strain — could be the cause of your discomfort. Vision is directly linked to the nervous system, which is why eye conditions and headaches tend to go hand-in-hand. Discover the link between eye strain and headaches, and what you can do if your eyes are contributing to head pain, below.

A Guide to Eye Strain & Headaches

What Is Eye Strain?

Simply put, eye strain is the overuse of eye muscles used for focusing. It may cause discomfort in the area of the head behind the eyes. Because many individuals spend hours each day looking at screens, eye strain is fairly common. If you spend long periods looking at a screen and reading materials, your headaches could be caused by eye strain.

How Is It Connected to Headaches?

In many cases, the eyes become strained after periods of reading or looking at a screen because they aren’t focusing properly. This is typically a result of nearsightedness or farsightedness. In normal vision, light focuses directly on the retina. In a nearsighted person, the visual image is focused on the front of the retina, whereas in a farsighted individual, the visual image is focused behind the retina. With nearsightedness and farsightedness, objects that are far away or close up, respectively, will appear blurry. Attempting to focus on the objects puts a strain on the eye muscles, leading to headaches.

How Is It Treated?

Luckily, nearsightedness and farsightedness are easily resolved with a trip to the eye doctor’s office. After a comprehensive eye exam, they’ll update your prescription and help you select eyewear suited for your unique needs. If your prescription hasn’t changed and you’re still experiencing headaches, which you suspect are related to strain, your eye doctor may be able to suggest solutions. In some cases, eye dryness may manifest as headache-like discomfort, so rewetting drops or different contact lenses could support ample moisture. You might also try taking 20-second breaks at 20-minute intervals to give your eyes a rest in between long periods of work.

If you’re experiencing eye strain and suspect your prescription needs updating, turn to the professionals at Pal Optical. Having served the Lexington, KY, community for more than 60 years, this center is led by well-trained eye doctors who take a patient-oriented approach to provide the best level of treatment for each individual. Explore their optometry services, including a list of designer brands for frames, by visiting their website. Call (859) 266-3003 to schedule an appointment.