Take This Type of Headache Seriously: A Hidden Threat to Your Vision

Persistent headaches should not always be blamed on stress and fatigue. An eye specialist warns that rising intracranial pressure can damage the optic nerve and, in severe cases, threaten vision. For this reason, prolonged headaches, especially when accompanied by blurred vision or double vision, require medical evaluation.

Constant headaches should not always be attributed to stress and fatigue. An ophthalmologist warns that increased intracranial pressure can damage the optic nerve and, in severe cases, threaten vision; For this reason, a prolonged headache, especially if accompanied by blurred vision or diplopia, requires medical evaluation.

According to Ambassador Arjan, many people attribute their frequent headaches only to stress or fatigue, but in reality, the eyes are one of the main candidates for headaches. The relationship between the visual system and headache follows two main paths: "eye structural problems" and "nervous disorders".

In the first category, refractive error (such as myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism) is the main factor. When the eye tries too hard to focus on objects, the ciliary muscles are strained and spasmed, resulting in "tension headaches" or pain in the forehead and around the eyes.

Also, dry eyes and intraocular pressure (such as glaucoma) can also be powerful triggers for severe pain.

In the second category, there are primary headaches such as "migraines". In this case, the problem is not the eye, but a disturbance in the nervous system that causes visual stimuli (such as strong light or certain light patterns) to trigger a migraine attack.

If your headaches are accompanied by blurred vision, diplopia, or a feeling of pressure behind the eyes, you should not neglect a specialized ophthalmological examination. Timely diagnosis is the main key to get rid of this painful cycle.

Nasser Karimi, eye and pupil plastic surgeon and faculty member of Iran University of Medical Sciences, warned about a dangerous medical condition that can lead to vision loss. Referring to his clinical experiences in the clinic, Karimi reported the observation of alarming cases in which young women (between the ages of 25 and 35) face a sudden loss of vision in both eyes after suffering from headaches for weeks.

He attributed this situation to the phenomenon of "increased intracranial pressure".

He emphasized that contrary to the common belief that this condition is associated only with brain tumors, other factors such as "obesity" and "excessive use of drugs containing estrogen" are equally dangerous.

According to him, obesity and the use of hormonal drugs without indication can increase brain pressure by creating clots in the large veins of the skull and lead to the gradual destruction of axons of ganglion cells (valuable visual fibers).

While recommending to avoid obesity and excessive use of drugs, Karimi emphasized to his medical colleagues: "Headache is one of the most common complaints; Any headache that lasts more than a week requires a careful examination of the optic nerve head with an ophthalmoscope.

He added: If swelling is observed in the optic nerve head, the golden time of treatment is passing and the patient should be immediately referred to specialized centers to control cranial pressure.