What causes nerve pain in the eyes?

Under normal circumstances, eye nerve pain may be caused by factors such as eye strain, mental stress, trigeminal neuralgia, glaucoma, or optic neuritis. It is recommended to seek medical attention promptly, identify the underlying cause, and receive symptomatic treatment under a doctor's guidance. Specific analysis is as follows:

1. Eye strain: Prolonged focus on electronic screens or staying up late can keep the ocular nerves in a constant state of tension, leading to spasmodic pain. To relieve nerve tension, take a 5-minute break every 30 minutes of screen time to look into the distance, ensure 7–8 hours of sleep daily, and apply a warm towel compress over the eyes for 10 minutes before bedtime.

2. Mental stress: Long-term pressure or emotional anxiety can cause sympathetic nervous system activation, resulting in constriction of head blood vessels and pulling on the ocular nerves, causing pain. Release stress daily through exercise, meditation, or similar methods, maintain emotional stability, and avoid excessive thinking that increases nerve burden.

3. Trigeminal neuralgia: When the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve is irritated, it causes sharp, stabbing, or electric shock-like pain around the eye, which starts and stops suddenly. Follow your doctor’s instructions to use medications such as carbamazepine tablets, oxcarbazepine tablets, or phenytoin sodium tablets to relieve pain, and avoid cold or hot stimuli that may trigger episodes.

4. Glaucoma: A sudden increase in intraocular pressure compresses the optic nerve, causing eye swelling and pain along with referred nerve pain, often accompanied by headache and blurred vision. Seek immediate medical care to monitor eye pressure, and follow medical advice to use pressure-lowering eye drops such as brinzolamide ophthalmic solution, timolol maleate ophthalmic solution, or brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution.

5. Optic neuritis: Inflammation of the optic nerve due to infection or immune dysfunction leads to dull eye pain, often accompanied by rapid vision loss. Follow your doctor’s instructions to use medications such as methylprednisolone tablets, prednisolone ophthalmic solution, and vitamin B1 tablets to control inflammation and support nerve health; hormone pulse therapy may be required when necessary.

In daily life, increase intake of foods rich in B-complex vitamins, such as whole grains and nuts. Avoid excessive consumption of stimulants like coffee and strong tea to reduce irritation to the ocular nerves. Comprehensive care measures can help improve symptoms of nerve pain.