We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process.
How we vet brands and products
Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.
Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we:
- Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?
- Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?
- Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices?
We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.
Overview
Many things can cause your eye to hurt when you blink. Most will clear up quickly on their own or with some treatment. A few, however, may be serious and require emergency medical attention.
Learn more about why your eye hurts when you blink and what you can do to ease the pain.
Common causes for eye pain when you blink include dry eyes, a stye, or pink eye (conjunctivitis). More serious conditions that can cause your eye to hurt when you blink include glaucoma or optic neuritis.
You should see your doctor if symptoms don’t ease within 48 hours or at-home remedies aren’t effective and the pain gets worse. If the condition is more serious than a simple infection or irritation of your eye, you will need medical attention quickly.
Pain when blinking is often only one symptom of a problem. Others may appear, too. If your eye pain isn’t caused by an obvious injury or condition, other symptoms can help you and your doctor understand what is causing the pain.
These symptoms include:
- pain when moving your eyes
- pressure in your eyes
- inflammation of your eyelid or eyelash follicles
- pain or sensitivity when exposed to light
- tenderness around your eyes (the sinuses)
When it’s a medical emergency
If you experience the following symptoms when you blink, you should seek emergency medical treatment:
- unbearable pain
- impaired vision
- severe pain when touching your eye
- vomiting or abdominal pain
- appearance of halos around lights
- difficulty closing your eyelids entirely because your eye is bulging outward
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, or if the pain and symptoms remain after you gently flush your eyes with water or saline, call 911 or visit an emergency room right away.
Eye pain when you blink isn’t always a sign of a bigger problem. It can be irritating but isn’t always dangerous. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take treatment seriously.
If you don’t get treatment for any underlying infections, injuries, or inflammation, your symptoms could last longer than necessary. The symptoms may grow more severe, too. This can lead to additional complications.
Complications of not treating an eye issue properly include:
- permanent damage to your cornea or eyelids
- permanent vision changes, including partial or entire loss of vision
- a more widespread infection
If the cause of your eye pain isn’t obvious, your doctor may need to run tests or conduct an exam. A general family doctor can prescribe medications for many of the most common causes of eye pain. These include pink eye, styes, and dry eyes.
Your general practitioner may recommend you see an ophthalmologist, an eye doctor, if they believe the issue is more serious and may require special tests and treatments. Ophthalmologists have specialized equipment that can help them detect the pressure inside your eyeballs. If the pressure is building dangerously fast, an ophthalmologist will be helpful in reaching a diagnosis and beginning treatment quickly.
Before deciding on a treatment that is best for your situation, your doctor will identify what’s causing your eye pain and other symptoms. Then they’ll make recommendations to treat the underlying cause to stop symptoms entirely.
Treatments for eye pain fall into three main categories: prescribed medications, over-the-counter products, and home remedies.
Medications including the following may all be prescribed to treat your symptoms or the underlying cause:
- antibiotics, to treat an underlying infection
- medicated eye drops
- painkillers, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil) and medicated eye drops such as diclofenac (Voltaren) and ketorolac (Acular)
- allergy medicine
- steroids such as prednisolone eye drops for severe irritation or inflammatory conditions
You can also use over-the-counter products and home remedies to help ease symptoms and provide some relief. Make sure you don’t rely on them to treat any underlying causes of any pain you’re experiencing — your doctor should be consulted for that.
To make a warm compress, submerge a clean washcloth in warm water, and then lightly hold it against your eye. Keep the compress warm by resubmerging it whenever it cools down. Make sure you thoroughly clean the washcloth afterward by adding it to a load of laundry washed at a hot temperature. That way, any contagious infections like styes or conjunctivitis aren’t likely to spread.
Eye pain is often temporary. But if common treatments, including painkillers, eye drops, or a warm compress, don’t reduce your symptoms, you should call your doctor. If symptoms significantly worsen or the number of symptoms grows in a brief window of time, you should seek emergency medical treatment.
Once your doctor diagnoses an underlying cause, treatment can begin immediately. Treatments for eye pain are very effective.
You can help prevent future eye health problems by taking these steps:
