Constant Pain/Pressure Behind Both Eyes (Seeking Help)
Bio: Hello, I'm Jim. I'm 28 and I live near Tampa, Florida. I'm seeking help with regards to eye pain. I've had constant pain behind both eyes for as long as I can remember; 8+ years. I cannot cope well with life like this anymore :( I'd appreciate your time and help more than you can imagine!
Pain (scale 1-10): The pain level behind both eyes is 3-4 on bad days and .5 to 1 on good days. I feel constant pressure behind both of my eyes (feels like it's on the top/behind my eye lids). The feeling is like a light to medium pinching sensation (like if you pinch your skin before it hurts too much) and is 24/7. The pain is the worst in the morning when waking up and is less at night.
Contributing Factors:
SLEEP (main): A good night's sleep will determine the day's pain level. Sleep less than 9 hours will result in a pain level of 3-4 and the entire day is hard to grind through.
LIGHT: Sensitive to light; must wear sunglasses outside (even if cloudy) and sometimes inside (hockey game/bright lights and at casino playing slot machines).
COMPUTER: Cannot be on the computer more than 15 minutes in the morning or afternoons.
READING: Cannot be on the computer more than 15 minutes in the morning or afternoons.
Remedies: A well night's sleep is most important. Used sleep medication in past, but do not want to become addicted (do not want pain killers either). The follow helps about half the pain: Advil, caffeine, high fat/high carb foods, putting coco butter on the top of my eyelids lightly, and/or a good nap.
Tried: Ophthalmologist(s) and had orbital cat scan. Eyes are healthy/no glaucoma. Tried various eye drops (some prescribed) and sinus techniques, all did not help. I gave up seeking more specialists because I could not afford more doctors visits (I do not have good health insurance); so I decided to accept the pain and cope with it. I remain on a good diet/exercise regimen and my vision is not rapidly deteriorating or had any vision loss.
Cannot: Travel, do anything in the mornings, use my computer IT degree (be on the computer for hours a day), or read much at a time. The pain effects my mood and morale :(
Want: I would love any suggestions/support that you can provide! I plan on paying out of pocket to speak to a neuro-ophthalmologist about my issue. After Googling, if I had to guess it's some type of nerve damage, but behind both eyes... I'm not sure how both are the same pain level. Also, I would think the pain level would be least in the mornings (after sleeping and having eyes closed), but, on the contrary, the pain level is least at night and worst in the mornings.
I would love to travel with my new girlfriend, but sleep is so paramount (to my pain level), that I must use my own bed in my blacked-out/cool room. My life revolves around me coping with this pain, and I wish I could live a normal life - wake up early, work on the computer, and just live life to the fullest!
Thank you for reading and God bless :)
-Jim
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