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My Eye Can't Handle Sunlight... Is It a Migraine?

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August 26th, 2005
Hi guys,

I woke this morning with my right eye feeling like it had been poked with a large, sharp stick. It was painful to open and when I did it started to get teary and sting. I got ready for work, squinting my eye and I seemed to manage ok. It was when I left the house that things became really problematic. The natural sunlight really hurt my eye and it started to almost throb and tears started pouring out of it. I covered it and tried to shade it from the sun and this seemed to be ok. Keeping it shut seemed to work best though, but even then it was still stinging. The pain mostly subsided when I went indoors and the tears stopped. I should say that the pain was an intense, dull pain with a bit of a sting and was not behind my eye but actually of my eye - I want to be clear about that and I experienced absolutley no headaches. There was also no itchiness in or around my eye, it really felt as though I had been poked in the eye... The very same feeling; and if it wasn't for the reaction to sunlight I would have thought exactly that.


I made an appointment to see a doctor and the earliest I could get was 11:30. By that time it was feeling a lot better though it still didn't like the sunlight very much. The doctor took my blood pressure, shone a light in my eye and asked me a few questions:

doctor: did you or do you have a headache?

Me: no
doctor: do you see flashing or sparkling lights in your field of vision?

Me: no
doctor: has your vision been blurry or unfocused?

Me: no
doctor: have you had any neck pain?

Me: no
doctor: have you ever had a migraine?

Me: no
doctor: is there a history of migraines in your family?

Me: no

her diagnosis: I have a migraine.


Huh?!?


Lady, I haven't even got a headache... I have a sore eye that is reacting to harsh sunlight. Could be anything. How about a corneal ulcer? Did she even think this diagnosis through?


I already wasted $50 on this diagnosis so i'd prefer not to spend another on a second opinion. Can anyone offer some advice because i'm highly sceptical that it's a migraine... But if it really is possible i'd like to hear more. I'm 33, male, never had anything even remotely serious happen to me healthwise.


The only other symptom I can think of is that when my eye reacts to the sunlight my nose runs as well, but only the right nostril (same side as eye). I guess this is probably just tear run-off from my eye and not actually mucus.


Any thoughts?


Cheers,

johnny
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Georgia59
replied July 21st, 2008
Especially eHealthy
I do think it's possible that it was a migraine, but you might want to check with a opthamologist as well.
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neha_4891
replied April 23rd, 2009
i dont think so
hey i had same condition today....and i visited ophthalmologist...even i wasnt able to handle sunlight today and i came back just after 5 minutes when i left my home,,, it was unbearing pain, i cant open my eyes even in normal sunlight n i felt like some foreign bpdy inside my eye,,, but it was my eye which was paining and also i felt poking in my eyes,.... as soon as i came home, i felt better n condition came under control within 1 hour in dark,, although still some pain n that poking feeling was present.in short it got worsen everytime today when i go out in outside light... then i visited doctor.
she checked with some machine and asked me symptoms.


in the prescription, ophthalmologist noted:
-photosensitivity +++
-cornea-bright

the doctor said that it will get alright in 2 days...
the medicines prescribed where----
-labraid eye dish
TDS
-ketlur plus eye dish
TDS

they r eye drops .... they have to be dropped in eyes thrice a day n there should be a gap of 2-5 minutes in between dropping of both eye drops......
note that i m from india
i dont know that these medicines will be available in your country or not...best luck.......
n yes all it was today... so m waiting 4 tomorrow to get the result.
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Lydia32
replied April 23rd, 2009
Experienced User
This may sound like a long-shot maybe you're having sinus problems, especially since you mentioned your nose running. Sometimes when I get really bad sinus pressure it feels like my eye is going to explode.

Do you have any history of allergies or did you just get over a cold (meaning it could be a sinus infection)? Do you feel any congestion otherwise? Does it hurt worse if you bend down, like to pick something up? Do your upper teeth hurt, especially when you take heavy steps, like they're being pulled at?

Over-the-counter decongestants along with some pain-relievers help me when it is just sinus pressure (not an infection). But ask your doctor to make sure that these meds won't interact with anything else you're taking. Also, the steam from a hot bath or shower can help clear your sinuses.

You also said it feels like there is something in your eye. Perhaps you got a speck of something in there and, even though it's gone, it may have scratched your eye a little and just needs time to heal.

I hope that you find out what's going on. Like I said, the sinus thing may be completely wrong, but I just had a feeling, I guess. Best of luck!
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neha_4891
replied April 26th, 2009
hey guys now my eyes are perfectly well because of the medications prescribed by ophthalmologist... and yes........ i dont have any migrane
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Lydia32
replied April 27th, 2009
Experienced User
I'm glad you are feeling better. Smile
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katieteri03
replied October 30th, 2009
Johnny, I'm only sixteen years old, but still, I too I have never had anything serious happen to me. Not very long ago, I had the same problem happen to me that happened to you. I began going to my eye doctor every couple weeks to monitor my vision. It turned out that what had happened to me was I randomly developed an allergy to the sun. My eyes CANNOT handle sunlight. I had to use drops up to 4 or 5 times per day, more if I was ouside. Also, I always have to have my eyes shaded (example: under a hat). I was told I was experiencing a migrane in the beginning, same as yourself.

Hope it helps Smile
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tsharma
replied December 22nd, 2009
Fixed Pupil problem
hey i got an accident when i was kid (6 years old) now i m 23 and having same problem my right eye could not handle sunlight . I have to use photocromatic glasses or sunglasses . i m from india and i had gone to a few doctors but they just said that i need to put dark glassed to protect from sunlight. can some one suggest what should i do because now i am loosing my hopes.

Thnaks
Tarun sharma
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ramborocky
replied June 29th, 2010
If you wear contacts, then it could be GPC (giant papillary conjunctivitis) which is when you have bumps on the back of your eyelid. This is common among contact-lens wearers. The doctor would have to flip your eyelids to check. There is no cure, they just come and go as your eye lids react to proteins on the contact lens or eye.

Symptoms: Eyes become Itchy, stinging, watery, and frequent blurred vision when wearing contacts.

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Timurid
replied March 30th, 2011
when i was in 7th grade i got kicked in the left eye, no exactly on the eye but on the bone that supports it, best way i can describe it. The vision in that eye actually is better than my right eye now, but over the years i noticed that bright light huirts and that when it is overcast my eyes feel like they want to die i used to remedy this by keeping one eye closed at all time so i could cut down the amount of light that is hitting ym eyes but now this does not work to mitigate the pain, i have a stigmatism( or however you spell it where words can have spirals in them, and i am farsighted. If any of you have had this problem let me know because it is worrisome since i can no longer control it
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Topklt
replied June 19th, 2012
I'm on the same page
I have a similiar problem. My eyes get overwhelmed by the sun (or wherever there is bright lights over my head-shining down). It's such a BAD pain that I get in my eye from this. The thing is, whats funny is, you can't shy away from the light-because you will become even MORE sensitive to it (as I used to do). Just go in the light, however, I highly recommend having your hair always down (or wearing a poney tail, but have some hair hanging down from the sides). I used to have very short hair and it didnt cover my face at all. It was so bad! Now I have hair past my ears, and I use it to actually block the sun from the sides of my face. It's actually done miracles. It's helped alot with also going into the sun now without my glasses. Also, once you feel your eye is vulnerable and getting closer to the pain, don't move your eye as much. One more thing, in the morning my eyes are most vulnerable. Make sure you have some sunlight in your home at this time, but be very cautious not to have too much or too little. Good luck!
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Timurid
replied March 30th, 2011
sunlight causing pain
When I was in 7th grade i got kicked in the left eye, no exactly on the eye but on the bone that supports it, best way i can describe it. The vision in that eye actually is better than my right eye now, but over the years i noticed that bright light hurts and that when it is overcast my eyes feel like they want to die i used to remedy this by keeping one eye closed at all time so I could cut down the amount of light that is hitting my eyes but now this does not work to mitigate the pain, i have a stigmatism( or however you spell it where words can have spirals in them, and I am farsighted. If any of you have had this problem let me know because it is worrisome since I can no longer control it.
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