4 Vision Problems That Can Cause Headaches

March 6th, 2018

Do you frequently suffer from chronic headaches or migraines? According to the American Migraine Foundation, roughly 36 million Americans struggle with migraines.

What many people don’t know is that chronic headaches are often caused by an undiagnosed vision problem. When people have limited vision, they often need to strain their eyes or hold items very close to their face in order to see. This type of straining can trigger headaches.

Here are four vision problems that can cause headaches:

 

• Presbyopia

 

Presbyopia is a common age-related condition that causes the lenses in your eyes to become rigid and inflexible. This makes it hard to see and can cause headaches. Fortunately, this condition is easy to treat with glasses or contacts.

 

• Astigmatism

 

Astigmatism is a defect in the lens of the eye which causes images to become distorted. Individuals with astigmatism have to squint to focus on objects which can lead to recurring headaches.

Fortunately, this condition is fairly simple to treat as well. Prescription eyewear can correct the problem and you will be seeing clearly in no time.

 

• Nearsightedness

 

Individuals that are nearsighted can easily see objects up close but struggle to make out far away objects. As such, they have to squint to see and this causes headaches over time.

Contacts or glasses are the best way to clear up this problem. Once your vision improves, your headaches should go away.

 

• Cataracts

 

Cataracts cause the lens of the eye to become cloudy and over time, vision slowly worsens. This impaired vision can also cause headaches to begin to happen.

The best treatment for cataracts is cataract surgery. This quick and painless procedure involves replacing the cloudy lens with an artificial lens. Once your vision improves, your headaches will likely improve as well.

If you frequently suffer from headaches, it’s important to figure out what is causing them. Scheduling your yearly comprehensive eye exam is a good place to start.

We will evaluate your medical history, do a dilated eye exam, and check your vision. Contact our office to schedule your yearly comprehensive eye exam with one of our doctors.