Can tension headaches cause pain from light?

[daisyflower]

Hello all,

I don't often come on here anymore as my anxiety has been a lot better but I'm starting to worry again and hoping someone can reassure me?

For the past 2-3 weeks, I've had a daily headache. Not usually there when I wake and only quite mild. Ache moves around, either in my eyes, shooting pains on the top of my head or aches in my eye socket or forehead. The worst symptom is that light, even from my phone etc is giving me a deep achy type pain in the back or sides of my eyes.

I did get banged in the head pretty hard a few days before this started, so I'm praying it's not related (but of course I choogled and frightened myself half to death). Didn't feel funny after head bang or pass out or vomit etc, just had a sore red spot on my forehead.

I've been under huge amounts of stress lately, which probably isn't helping. I know I should go the dr and or get my eyes tested at the optician but I have a massive phobia of doctors and medical tests so hoping this will go away :(

Any reassurance would be greatly appreciated!

---------- Post added at 17:39 ---------- Previous post was at 17:35 ----------

Oh and my ear feels odd, keeps making a thumping sound when I swallow or when there's a noise, so not sure if that's blocked!

[conan]

i had pretty much all of this a couple of months back. headache around the front of my eyes/forehead/temples, light sensitivity and also a bit of mild vertigo when moving my eyes/head. eye doctor diagnosed it as garden variety eye strain and i'm no doctor but that seems like the most likely explanation for your symptoms. do you stare at a computer screen or your phone a lot? mine got better over a couple of weeks and idk what helped but here's what i did:

- turned the brightness down on my phone screen and computer monitors
- put saline eye drops in on occasions where my actual eyes felt sore (this wasn't often)
- practised taking time away from screens at least every 20 minutes or so: spend some time looking at things far away every to often.
- tried to keep off my phone/computer where possible. i stare at a monitor all day for work but also spend too much time looking at my phone after hours.

some combination of this stuff seems to have taken the edge off although both of the symptoms you have come back if i'm careless and ESPECIALLY when i have anxiety and am frantically searching the web for long periods.

again, i'm not a doctor and this is not medical advice. it might be worth seeing an eye doctor (surely the least scary type of doctor, right?) but i'd also definitely try some common approaches to reduce eye strain.

[daisyflower]

Thank you so much for your reply, Conan! It does feel a lot like eye strain and I am spending too much time on my phone. Eyes are even gritty and sore when I first wake. I will go out and get some eye drops today :)