Do you experience any kind of eye pain when blinking? It is one of the most common complaints experienced by people of all ages.
Your eyes are extremely sensitive organs, and even minor dust, debris, or scratches can trigger extreme pain. We have come across all the potential causes of the pain in your left eye when blinking.
Get to know what the potential nemesis is, the appropriate treatment, and ways to prevent further complications in this comprehensive blog below. So, if your left eye hurts when you blink, we have what you need to listen to.
Corneal abrasion disrupts the corneal tissue, the eye’s transparent outer layer. The scratched eye, where the epithelial layer is facing issues, causes less tear production than before. Such a condition is evident in Sjogren’s syndrome and leprosy.
The clear protective layer of the cornea is very sensitive. If it scratches out the chances of dry eyes, it will increase, causing difficulty for you to blink. Even left eye pain associated with blinking can be affected as the eyelid moves over the damaged area, further irritating the nerves, which are highly sensitive to touch.
Foreign objects in the eyes can cause trauma. It can also happen because of the use of damaged contact lenses and long-term contact lens use.
The pain associated with the eyes varies in the case of corneal abrasion and conjunctivitis. Usually, with corneal abrasion, there is sharp and stabbing pain. But when it comes to conjunctivitis, it’s gritting, stinging, and soreness pain associated with your left eye or both eyes.
Though conjunctivitis is not a direct cause of pain in the eyes, conjunctivitis involves inflammation and dryness, which may cause discomfort when blinking. Even the sensation feels stinging.
Inflammation of the clear membrane covering the eye and the inside of the eyelid, known as conjunctivitis or pink eye, can cause redness, itching, and pain when blinking.
Styes are eye bumps that come into your eyes out of nowhere. Whenever a stye pops up, the infected area, including the oil gland or eyelash follicle, becomes irritated. The swollen area has increased sensitivity, because of which even the slight pressure of friction from blinking becomes more painful than usual.
In some cases, styes in the eye can cause discomfort and soreness, eventually leading to muscle tension or strain of some kind.
Dry eye syndrome occurs when your eyes either don’t produce enough tears or the tears they produce aren’t of good quality. This lack of lubrication leads to a dry and irritated eye surface. Blinking normally helps spread tears across the eye, but when tears are insufficient, blinking can become uncomfortable or even painful.
Blepharitis can be an uncomfortable, gritty sensation in the eyes. It’s when those delicate fringes become red, swollen, itchy, and just plain flaky and crusty sensations in the eyes.
Anterior blepharitis is when the outside of your eyelid, where the lashes are rooted, gets all riled up. It’s usually thanks to some skin bacteria or dandruff migrants from your scalp or brows taking up residence. Occasionally, teeny-tiny mite parasites can be the instigators too, but that’s pretty rare.
Then there’s posterior blepharitis, which picks a fight with the inner eyelid edge—the part that touches your eyeball. In this case, it’s those oil glands getting all clogged up, thanks to common skin conditions like rosacea or scalp dandruff being troublemakers.
The good news? Blepharitis isn’t contagious, and it typically doesn’t cause any permanent eye damage. But that inflamed eyelid margin can surely make blinking a sore subject, with enough soreness and discomfort to make you want to avoid those lids altogether.
So if your eyes start acting like petulant toddlers, don’t ignore the tantrum. That blepharitis needs some soothing TLC to calm those irate lids before the crankiness gets out of hand.
A corneal ulcer is a defect or erosion on the surface of the cornea (the clear front part of the eye). Corneal ulcers can penetrate up to the deeper layers. These can result from an infection, which can be a viral, fungal, parasitic, or bacterial infection.
Corneal ulcers can cause significant eye pain in your left eye when blinking because they trigger the sensitivity of nerve endings. The cornea is densely packed with nerve endings and when your eyes are diagnosed with an ulcer, you feel intense pain, light sensitivity, redness, tearing, and blurred vision.
The sharp, burning, or gritty sensation in the eyes is felt during corneal ulcers. You may feel numbing or strong irritation when blinking, with potential complications like corneal scarring or vision loss.
Optic neuritis is swelling or inflammation of the optic nerve, which causes issues when transmitting visual information from your eye to the brain. When the nerve fiber experiences some sign of multiple sclerosis (MS), there are potential chances of infection or immune disease, such as lupus.
Optic neuritis affects one or both eyes, and this pain sensation feels like dull acne behind the eye, impacting the visual field pattern. The inflamed and swollen optic nerve puts pressure on the surrounding tissue, causing difficulty when blinking.
The pain can transfer beyond the eye socket, irritating the temple and forehead areas. The pain can be deliberated temporarily to quit its severe form. So, get checked at regular intervals if you face any issues when blinking your eyes.
Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses that is caused by flu-like symptoms. The air-filled spaces behind the forehead, bridge of the noise, and cheekbones—these areas are the sinuses. Sinuses are of various types; these can be maxillary sinuses, which occur just below your eyes, or the ethmnoidal sinus( between your eyes), sphenoidal sinus (behind your eyes), or frontal sinus, just above the eyes.
Infected sinuses cause sinus pressure in the eyes, which causes pain when blinking your eyes, among other flu-like symptoms. Eye pain also occurs because of the chronic infection of epiphora associated with sinus and eyelid swelling or even eye puffiness, that comes clogged with mucus.
Tear duct infection is an issue where you can often have blockage of the tear duct, raising concerns about watery eyes. It can worsen if followed by symptoms like a cold or sinus infection. Such a situation occurs when we expose ourselves to extremely windy trails, cold weather, or bright sunlight.
In such a situation, bacteria may be trapped, leading to tenderness and redness in the corners of the eyes. When you try to blink, irritation and eye pain may result. Relief means treating your eyes with a cold compress, getting them checked by an eye specialist, and practicing eye care hygiene.
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that impacts the thyroid gland. If you have increased hormonal production at this time, you may have a potential chance of Graves’ ophthalmopathy. This inflammatory eye condition may pose a risk of vision loss if it is not treated with appropriate medical treatment.
So, when you have sharp pain in the left eye when blinking, this could show an underlying condition such as Graves disease, which needs immediate medical attention. Don’t push it and get your thyroid medicines and healthy eating habits activated as soon as possible.
Even in cases where you have chemical burns, chances are there for you to feel the pressure on your eyes. The friction and induced irritation also pose a pain sensation in the eyes when blinking. For relief, get medication from the doctor immediately.
You need to take a break to take care of your eye health. In addition to the aforementioned causes, if your eyes experience sudden, intense pain when blinking, it could be because of your dry eyes. So, aim to blink at least 15 to 20 times per minute, even when you are highly focused on important tasks on the digital screen.
Wear protective sunglasses to protect yourself from the harmful chemicals. Drink enough water to hydrate yourself and engage in an active eye care routine to prevent eye strain and damage. If you need consultation regarding eye health, you may drop your queries to the vision concern team
Yes, we provide emergency eye care for conditions like eye injuries, sudden vision loss, and infections. If you experience any urgent eye problems, please contact us immediately, and our team will assist you in getting the care you need.
Signs to watch for include blurry vision, floaters, sudden loss of vision, eye pain, redness, or sensitivity to light. If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s important to schedule an eye exam at Vision Concern Eye Clinic as soon as possible for early diagnosis and treatment.
If you’re experiencing blurred vision, headaches, or eye strain, it may be a sign that you need glasses or contact lenses. Our eye exams will help determine whether you need corrective lenses. We’ll also discuss your options based on your lifestyle and preferences, including glasses, contacts, or even refractive surgery like LASIK.
