Overview
Many people experience headache above their right eye and people with this type of headache present with the common symptoms include
- Exhaustiveness
- Nausea
- Visual disturbances
Normally, headache refers to when a person experiences a lot of pain in their head but it is important to identify on which area it is affecting. Every year fifty-percent of the adolescents visit their physician due to headaches.
What are the indicators of Headache above the right eye?
The most common symptom associated with headache above the right eye is a pain in the affected area. The other symptoms include restlessness, excessive tearing, stuffy nose on the right side, swelling around your eye on the right side, and drooping eyelid.
Have a word with an ophthalmologist
Consult your eye specialist or ophthalmologist immediately if you are experiencing any of the symptoms described above. Your doctor should evaluate you for other possible causes of your symptoms before treating headaches above your right eye. Together, you and your doctor can determine the best way to manage your symptoms.
What are the causes of headaches above the right eye?
There can be a variety of causes that can include and this is very important to keep in mind. The causes of this type of headache include
- Neurological issues
- Use of certain medications
- Other causes of headache above the right eye
Let’s discuss the above causes in detail:
Neurological issues
Nerves in your brain can cause headaches above the right eye and it is known as neurological problems. These conditions might contribute to the cause of headaches above the right eye. It includes
Occipital neuralgia
It happens when there is damage occurs in the nerves that travel from the top of the spinal cord to reach the scalp. It is also known as occipital nerves. The symptoms of this condition include
- Back pain
- Sharp head pain
- Headache above the right eye
- Pain in the neck
- Sensitivity to light
Temporal arteritis
The blood supply will become slow with the temporal arteritis problem and the head and neck will be affected. It causes headaches above the right eyes and it can lead to pain in the muscles. The indicators of this condition include
- Pain in the jaw
- Low levels of energy
- Tender temples
Trigeminal neuralgia
When there is a disturbance to the trigeminal nerve which is usually located at the base of the brain, it can cause severe pain in the face and head. It only affects the right side of the head.
Use of certain medications
A headache can be a result of taking several over the counter drugs. These medications can cause secondary headaches.
People experience secondary headaches due to their underlying medical conditions and sometimes following OTC pain killers also contribute. It includes
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
This drug is used to get relief from conditions such as muscle pains, toothache, and other minor problems. Sometimes, this drug may contribute to the cause of pain in the head. Swelling of the skin, hives, difficulty in breathing or unable to breathe, rashes, disorientation, and reduced platelet count are the side effects associated with this drug other than headache.
The above side effects can occur at any time during medication use. It is advised to consult a physician when you are experiencing the side effects of this medication. Your physician may change the dosage of the medication or switch you to another one.
Aspirin
Aspirin is a pain killer medication that is used to relieve mild body pains. Headache is a side effect of this OTC painkiller. Other side effects include irritation of the stomach or gut, hard bowel movements, nausea, bleeding in the stomach, inflammation of the stomach, and indigestion.
Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil)
This painkiller medication can offer relief to people from muscle pain temporarily but the overuse of this medication may contribute to headaches above the right eye. Dizziness, sensitivity to the sun, pain in the stomach, peeling of the skin, pain in the abdomen, vomiting, pain in the head, hard bowel movements, water retention, and ringing in the ears are considered as the common side effects associated with this drug.
Other causes of headache above the right eye
Tumors, allergies, strains in the muscle or knots in the neck, a weak artery wall, low levels of blood sugar due to missing meals, damage to the head, and several infections can cause pain across the head or headache above the right eye.
What are the risk factors of headache above the right eye?
Several well-established risk factors developing the condition. These risk factors include
- Gender
- Age
- Smoking
- Drinking alcohol
- Medical history
Let’s discuss the above risk factors in detail
Gender
Women are far less likely to develop this condition on the other hand men have an increased risk of developing this type of pain in the head.
Age
People who are developing this condition are between the ages of twenty and fifty. But this condition can occur at any age.
Smoking
People who are unable to quit smoking are more prone to develop this condition. Smoking often results in a severe headache.
Drinking alcohol
One shouldn’t drink an excess of alcohol while suffering from severe pain in the head and it can increase a person’s chances of a stroke.
Medical history
If any member in your family has suffered from severe headaches in the past, then you might increase your chances of experiencing it.
What type of health conditions affects headaches above the right eye?
Three types of headaches can make people experience headaches above the right eye. It includes
- Migraines
- Cluster headache
- Tension headache
Let’s discuss the above types of headaches in detail:
Migraines: Migraine can be the most likely cause of a headache that occurs above the right eye. People suffer from migraine headaches due to various reasons and genes are one of them. People with migraines often experience vomiting, unable to see, nausea, sound, and light sensitivity. Some people will have mild pain in the head, while others experience severe pain due to migraine headaches.
Cluster headache: This type of headache occurs very rarely and people experience cluster headache in a cyclical pattern. People observe pain only on one side of their heads due to cluster headaches. Women are far less likely to experience cluster headaches when compared to men. Exhaustiveness, facial sweating, stuffy or runny nose, pale or flushed skin, and swelling around the affected eye are considered as indicators of this type of headache.
The exact cause of cluster headache is unknown but bad habits like smoking and drinking alcohol can increase the severity of the symptoms. There is no cure for this condition and the main objective of any type of treatment is to ease the symptoms of the headache.
Tension headache: This type of headache affects people frequently. Nearly seventy-five percent of the people reporting tension headaches every year. Some people experience pain above the right eye due to tension headaches. Feeling excessive pressure on the head, scalp tenderness, and aching pain are the signs of this condition.
Seventy percent of the patients will resolve this condition just by themselves by changing their lifestyle.
Treating a headache above the right eye
If you are unable to bear the headache above the right eye, then consult a physician and he or she recommend some pain killers to give relief from the symptoms temporarily. If the symptoms persist, then your physician may recommend muscle relaxants and antidepressant medications to improve your mood.
People should make lifestyle changes to treat their problem along with the use of medications. A well-balanced diet, exercise, and maintaining a healthy body weight can reduce the chances of experiencing headaches and those adverse effects.
Conclusion
Everybody is different who develops headaches. If a headache is a big problem for you, then talk with your physician about some of the available treatment options and it is important to get prompt treatment.
References
- https://thejournalofheadacheandpain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1129-2377-14-24
- https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1526-4610.2007.00871.x
- https://www.aerzteblatt.de/int/archive/article/197591
