Headache and Eye Pain on Right Side

In many cases a cluster headache causes eye pain on right side.

A cluster headache usually awakens an individual from sleep one to two hours after going to sleep. These nighttime attacks can be more severe than the daytime attacks. Attacks seem connected to the circadian rhythm (or “biological” clock). Cluster headaches can be more extreme than a migraine attack but luckily do not last as long as a migraine headache.

The headaches might disappear totally (enter into “remission”) for months or years, just to repeat without any caution.

Who Gets Cluster Headaches?

Cluster headaches are the least typical type of headaches, affecting less than one in 1,000 people. Cluster headaches usually start before the age of 30. They are more typical in men than women.

What Causes Headache and Eye Pain on Right Side?

The cause of headache and eye pain on right side is unknown. Nevertheless, the headaches occur when a nerve path in the base of the brain (the trigeminal-autonomic reflex path) is activated. The trigeminal nerve is the main nerve of the face responsible for sensations (such as heat or pain.).

When activated, the trigeminal nerve causes the eye pain connected with cluster headaches. The trigeminal nerve also stimulates another group of nerves that causes the eye tearing and redness, nasal blockage, and discharge related to cluster attacks.

The activation of the trigeminal nerve appears to come from a much deeper part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is house to our “internal biologic clock,” which controls our sleep and wake cycles on a 24-hour schedule. Current imaging studies have shown activation or stimulation of the hypothalamus during a cluster attack.

Cluster headaches and eye pain on one side are not caused by an underlying brain condition such as a growth or aneurysm.

What Triggers Cluster Headaches?

The season is the most typical trigger for cluster headaches, which typically occur in the spring or fall. Due to their seasonal nature, cluster headaches are frequently wrongly related to allergies or business stress. The seasonal nature of cluster headaches more than likely results from stimulation or activation of the hypothalamus.

Cluster headaches and eye pain are likewise typical in individuals who smoke and drink alcohol. During a cluster period, the patient is more conscious the action of alcohol and nicotine, and minimal quantities of alcohol can trigger the headaches.

What Are the Symptoms?

Cluster headaches typically reach their full blast within 5 or ten minutes after start. The attacks are typically really comparable, varying just a little from one attack to another.

• Type of pain: The pain of cluster headache is almost always one-sided, and during a headache period, the pain stays on the same side. When a new headache period begins, it rarely occurs on the opposite side.
• Severity/intensity of pain: The pain of a cluster headache is usually very intense and severe and is typically referred to as having a burning or piercing quality. It may be throbbing or consistent. The pain is so intense that most cluster headache victims can not sit still and will often speed during an attack.
• Location of pain: The pain is located behind one eye or in the eye region, without altering sides. It might radiate to the forehead, temple, nose, cheek, or upper gum on the affected side. The scalp may hurt, and the pulsing in the arteries typically can be felt.
• Duration of pain: The pain of a headache with eye pain lasts a short time, generally 30 to 90 minutes. It may, nevertheless, last from 15 minutes to three hours. The headache will disappear only to recur later that day. Generally, in between attacks, people with cluster headaches are headache-free.
• Frequency of headaches: Most patients get one to 3 headaches per day during a cluster period (the time when the headache patient is experiencing daily attacks). They take place really regularly, usually at the same time each day, and have been called “alarm clock headaches,” due to the fact that they typically awaken the individual at the same time during the night.

A lot of cluster victims (80% -90%) have episodic cluster headaches that take place in periods lasting 7 days to one year, separated by pain-free episodes lasting 14 days or more.

In about 20% of people with eye pain on right side and cluster headaches, the attacks may be chronic, suggesting there are less than 14 headache-free days annually.

Cluster headaches are not usually associated with queasiness or vomiting. It is possible for someone with cluster headaches to likewise suffer from migraines.

What Is the Treatment for Cluster Headaches and Eye Pain on Right Side?

• Abortive medications. The most successful treatments are Imitrex (sumatriptan) or other triptans, and breathing oxygen through a face mask for twenty minutes. Other alternatives include: ergotamine drugs and intranasal lidocaine.
• Preventive medications. Your doctor can prescribe preventive medications to reduce the length of the headache and eye pain on right side of head in addition to decrease the seriousness of the headaches. All cluster headache victims ought to take preventive medication unless their cluster periods last less than two weeks. Some substance abuse in the prevention of cluster headaches include verapamil, lithium, divalproex salt, prednisone (just short courses), and ergotamine tartrate.
• Surgery. This might be a choice for people with chronic cluster headaches who have not been helped with standard therapy. The majority of the procedures include blocking the trigeminal nerve.

All of these treatments must be used under the instructions of a doctor familiar with treating cluster headaches. Similar to any medication, it is very important to carefully follow the label directions and your doctor’s recommendations.