Eye pain is a common symptom of migraine headaches. More than 3,500 MyMigraineTeam members have reported this symptom. Others notice eye puffiness around the time of a migraine attack, particularly if it’s a severe one.

Eye pain can take different forms, but whatever shape it takes, it can be one of the most excruciating parts of experiencing migraine headaches. “When migraine pains get to the eyes, they are some of the worst!” one member said. Another posted, “I often get right-side eye pain as a migraine symptom. It feels like someone has their thumb behind my eye and is trying to push it out of the socket.”

Avoiding migraine triggers — and finding ways to soothe eye pain and swelling when migraine does occur — can significantly improve your quality of life.

Can Migraine Make Your Eyes Hurt?

Eye pain is a well-known symptom of migraine attacks. The eye pain you experience during migraine is not the same as an ocular migraine. The term “ocular” refers to the eye, and an ocular migraine is a migraine symptom during which a person experiences visual disturbances like flashing lights or experiences vision loss. These visual disturbances aren’t necessarily accompanied by pain.

What Does Eye Pain in Migraine Feel Like?

Some MyMigraineTeam members report sharp migraine pain behind the eye. “Today started with a stabbing pain behind my left eye and was downhill from there,” one member wrote. Others describe pain that radiates around the temples, sometimes spreading from other areas of the face, such as the side of the head. According to one member, “My eyes, eye sockets, temples, and the base of my skull throb.”

Migraines can also cause eyelid swelling, droopy eyelids, and tears. (Eyelid swelling, a runny nose, and teary eyes can also be symptoms of a similar headache disorder called cluster headaches, but cluster headaches are generally shorter than migraines, and they also cause restlessness and agitation.)

What Causes Eye Pain During Migraines?

Changes in hormone levels, such as serotonin and estrogen, may trigger migraine pain by causing contractions in blood vessels. Changes in estrogen levels can also make facial nerves — like the nerves around the eye — more sensitive. Due to fluctuating estrogen levels, women are more likely than men to experience migraines, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

People who experience chronic migraines may also have differences in their trigeminal system, which is involved in facial sensation. These differences cause nerve overactivity, with the nerve becoming hypersensitive and creating migraine eye pain. The eyes may be especially sensitive to nerve differences because they’re more exposed than other body parts. The cornea (the clear outer layer of the eye, which covers the iris and pupil) contains trigeminal nerve endings. Even small amounts of pressure or the tiniest irritants can cause tremendous eye pain during a migraine attack.

It’s also possible for ocular pain and migraine attacks to be linked to high pressure in the eyes. For instance, some types of glaucoma include elevated eye pressure (such as neovascular glaucoma), and people with those types of glaucoma may experience headache pain.

What Does a High Eye Pressure Headache Feel Like?

If you have a headache due to high eye pressure, you may experience a searing or stinging feeling that feels like a stabbing pain, blurry vision, and a red eye. If you have these symptoms, contact a medical professional right away to ensure you aren’t experiencing a medical emergency.

Puffy Eyes and Migraine

Swelling of the eyelids may occur in people with migraine attacks. This can cause your eyes to have a puffy appearance. One study found that when people with migraine experienced eyelid swelling, it usually occurred during more severe migraine attacks. The swollen eyes also tended to last longer than the actual migraine pain.

Triggers for Eye Pain

Some of the common triggers for migraines and the accompanying eye pain are stress, flashing lights, poor sleep, loud noises, and changes in weather. One MyMigraineTeam member said, “The only trigger I can identify so far is rain. Every darn time!”

Food sensitivities can also cause migraines. The most common food triggers include aged cheese, chocolate, ramen noodles, caffeine, red wine, and more. Certain food additives, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) and nitrates (a preservative usually found in processed meats) can also trigger migraines.

MyMigraineTeam members report a variety of food sensitivities that can bring on migraines and eye pain. Many members find that their food triggers change with age and that they have to go through a process of trial and error to eliminate foods that cause migraines. According to one member, “Peanut butter was never a trigger. Then suddenly I got a migraine every time I ate it, so I have avoided it for about 10 years. I love it, so I have slowly been adding it back in and it is not triggering.”

Alcohol sensitivity can also cause migraines. “Between the rain and a thimbleful of champagne and a few sips of chardonnay, I was sick,” a MyMigraineTeam member said.

Treatments for Migraine and Eye Pain

Many migraine treatments focus on preventing migraine attacks, but there are options to soothe headache pain — including eye pain — once a migraine starts. Over-the-counter medications, such as aspirin (Bayer), ibuprofen (Advil), and acetaminophen (Tylenol), are the first line of defense for migraine eye pain, headache, and all migraine symptoms.

If over-the-counter remedies aren’t enough, triptans such as sumatriptan (Imitrex), naratriptan (Amerge), zolmitriptan (Zolmig), rizatriptan (Maxalt), and eletriptan (Relpax) can help ease migraine symptoms like eye pain when taken early in a migraine episode. These prescription drugs mimic the effect of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that reduces inflammation and tightens blood vessels that widen during a migraine attack.

Triptans are available as pills or as nasal sprays. Triptans can be combined with NSAIDs — nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium (Aleve). Ergot-derived drugs like dihydroergotamine (Migranal) can also help calm blood vessels during a migraine headache, but they have been found to be less effective than triptans. Because of the risk of serious side effects, they are reserved for specific cases.

It’s important to note that triptans are not the best treatment for everyone with migraine. Because triptans cause the vasoconstriction (narrowing) of blood vessels, they aren’t recommended for people with coronary artery disease, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or a history of heart attack or stroke.

Another potential treatment to ease migraine attacks involves drugs that target calcitonin gene-related peptides (CGRPs). CGRPs, proteins found in the nervous system, can raise inflammation and potentially trigger migraine attacks. That’s why anti-CGRP medications can help. These include such medications as ubrogepant (Ubrelvy), atogepant (Qulipta), rimegepant (Nurtec ODT), and zavegepant (Zavzpret).

Talk to your doctor about how to relieve a headache behind your eyes, swollen eyes, or other symptoms.

How Do MyMigraineTeam Members Treat Eye Pain?

Lying down in a dark, quiet room is a time-tested way to treat migraine symptoms, including eye pain. Applying heat to the affected area using a warm compress or mask can help treat eye pain. “I tried a heat-activated, warming eye mask, which has eased a little pain,” reported one MyMigraineTeam member.

Ice can also help numb the face and reduce eye pain. One member recommends frozen peas, “as they allow the ice pack to form to the face.” Others have found relief in “ice hats” or “ice helmets” — fleece hats that have pockets to hold ice packs. These hats allow you to place multiple ice packs snugly against the affected areas. “Holding an ice pack isn’t the best! Not much helps me, but this item is well worth the price!” one MyMigraineTeam member said.

Other MyMigraineTeam members use essential oils, such as lavender oil and peppermint oil, to ease eye pain. “When I am having a migraine I do use Japanese peppermint oil on the base of my head, neck, and shoulders. It gets quite hot, but it sometimes relieves pain,” a member said.

To avoid skin irritation, members suggest using an essential oil diffuser or mixing an essential oil with a carrier oil, such as almond or coconut oil. Members also report that CBD oil is useful for facial pain. It’s an oil that contains cannabidiol, a chemical compound derived from the hemp plant. Some members use CBD oil on their skin or by breathing it in, using a cloth or vape pen. ”I rub the oil on my temples and put some on a cloth and breathe it in during the migraine,” one member said. Others take CBD oil capsules. It’s important to check with your doctor before using CBD oil, as it can interact with other medications you are taking.

Some members find that using a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit helps ease eye and face pain. The TENS unit is placed on the surface of the skin. It sends electrical signals to disrupt pain signals from the nerves. According to one MyMigraineTeam member, “I have used the TENS unit for a couple of weeks. I no longer have trigeminal pain 24/7 and have averaged one migraine a week.”

Talk With Others Who Understand

MyMigraineTeam is the social network for people with migraine and their loved ones. On MyMigraineTeam, more than 83,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with migraine.

Have you experienced migraine eye pain, eyelid swelling, or pain in the back of the eye? How do you manage it? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.

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