Eye Pain and Sinus

Do you know which is the most sensitive part in your body? It is the eyes, because there are many pain receptors, finely tuned nerve endings, which are located in and around the eyes. Therefore, if you have noticed, a blast of cold air, inward growing eye lashes, dry air, etc. all trigger pain and/or irritation. Among the factors within the body, which can trigger eye pain is sinus. In some cases, simply rolling the eyes can cause an immense amount of pain, as the adjacent muscles are strained. Before we read about eye pain sinus, let's read a little about the sinuses.

What are Sinuses?

Sinuses are actually pea sized pouches, which extend outwards, from the inside of the nose into the bones of the face and the skull. They are air pockets, which expand and grow through childhood into young adulthood. These pouches produce mucus, which passes through the nose and cleans the membranes, as it picks up dust particles, bacteria and other pollutants. Infection or inflammation of the sinus is called sinusitis. Sinus problem happens when the openings of these air bags are closed shut due to various irritants like allergens, smoke, etc. If the opening is obstructed, the mucus produced cannot be drained out, causing the fluid to build up and exert pressure. This causes eye pain and sinus headache.

Eye Pain - Sinus

More than 32 million Americans are said to suffer from eye pain and sinus infection. Sinus infections can cause eye pain, because there are sinuses surround the ocular region, and the pressure on the sinus air pockets feels like pressure on the eye. The more the swelling of the sinuses and nasal membrane, more is the pressure exerted causing eye pain due to sinus. There are other reasons, apart from mucus build up, which can cause eye pain. They are nasal polyps, tooth infection, etc. The symptom of eye pain and sinus pressure are built up either behind the eyes or in the space between the nose and the eyes. There can also be persistent dull pain, which radiates from the eyes to other areas around the facial region. There can be a throbbing pain behind the eyes as well. In case the sinus infection affects the sinus cavities closest to the eyes, there can be swelling of the eyes and they may also become red. Now that you have found an answer to the question 'can sinus cause eye pain', let's see how to relieve ourselves of eye pain and sinus pressure.

Treating Eye Pain - Sinus

There are many simple methods, which can relieve you of right eye pain (sinusitis). The first of them is to use steam to open the sinuses. The best way is to take nasal steam either using nasal steamer or with water boiled in a pot. You should do this at least thrice a day. Taking a hot shower twice a day can also help to alleviate sinusitis. If you are not a big fan of steam, you may want to try hot compress. Place the hot compress on the sinus region. It will also help in draining the sinuses.

If you have a garden, which you mow yourself, in this pollen season, you can delegate the task to someone else. Stay in clean air as much as possible. Staying away from smoke of any kind, will help to get rid of your sinus problem.

If you sleep without a pillow, you might want to start using it now. If you sleep with your head on an elevation of about 4 to 6 inches, it will help in draining of the sinuses. Using a steam humidifier will also help. You can make use of eucalyptus oil both for the humidifier as well as for steaming. Severe case of infection may require you to visit your health care professional. He may prescribe some antibiotics.

To prevent any further eye pain, sinus trouble, eating a well-balanced diet, along with regular exercise is the key. Since you are susceptible to sinusitis, you may want to keep away from people, who have cold and flu symptoms. Do not share your clothes, towels, napkins, utensils, etc. as these are the carriers of infection. At the same time, it is healthy to stay away from smoking as well.