Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy Dry Eye OccursDry Eyes/Migraine LinkPossible CausesCommon SymptomsTreatmentCopingWhen to See a Healthcare Provider

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Why Dry Eye Occurs

Dry Eyes/Migraine Link

Possible Causes

Common Symptoms

Treatment

Coping

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Having both dry eyes and migraines may not be a coincidence. Dry eyes don’t cause headaches or migraines, but there may be a connection between the conditions.

Research suggestsmigraine attacksmay be longer and more severe in people with dry eye syndrome than those without it. There are also similarities in the underlying mechanisms that cause dry eyes and migraines or headaches to occur.

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migraine headache

Dry eye syndrome (also known as dry eye disease) is a complex condition involving impaired tear function and eye surface abnormalities.

However, there’s evidence that many people have dry eye symptoms unrelated to these causes.

For example, sometimes dry eye syndrome develops due to an underlying medical condition, likeSjögren’s disease. Incidentally, people with this autoimmune condition also have a higher incidence of migraines and headaches than those without the condition.

An Overview of Dry Eye Syndrome

One study looked at almost one million U.S. veterans, mainly men diagnosed with dry eye syndrome. They looked at the link between chronic pain conditions and dry eyes. The study found dry eyes were more common in those with a chronic pain condition.

The frequency of dry eyes also increased as the number of chronic pain conditions a participant had increased. This suggests that having dry eyes may be an indication of a chronic pain condition, such as migraine.

Most other studies examining the link between migraine headaches and dry eye syndrome have been fairly small, but they still provide some insight into the possible connection between the two conditions.

Amongst the most notable findings:

2:18What Is a Retinal Migraine?

2:18

What Is a Retinal Migraine?

What Is Chronic Pain?

Theories About Causes

There’s no known reasons for why dry eye syndrome and migraine are related, but several theories exist. Experts think the two conditions may share the following mechanisms:

Asmall 2015 studyfound that participants with migraine and symptoms of dry eye syndrome had less dense corneal nerve fiber than those without migraine. This supports the hypothesis that the trigeminal nerve is associated with the two conditions

Risk Factors

Dry eye syndrome and migraine headaches have some risk factors in common. These include:

Dry Eyes at Night: When Symptoms Depend on the Time of Day

Symptoms Common to Migraine and Dry Eye

Symptoms are present in both conditions, but there are usually no obvious clinical signs that indicate a direct physical cause, such as nerve damage or structural problems.

Sensory issues and eye pain are common symptoms that migraine and dry eye share. Having both conditions means that these symptoms may be compounded.

Sensitivity and Sensory Issues

Photophobia is light sensitivity or abnormal pain that occurs when you’re exposed to light. It affects about 80% of people with migraines. Most people with dry eye syndrome also report experiencing light sensitivity.

Somatosensory dysfunction is a faulty response to the way your brain perceives neural impulses. It may be present in migraine and dry eye syndrome as well. These dysfunctions include:

The Complex Relationship Between Light and Migraines

Eye Pain

If you have migraines, pain sometimes feels like it’s in, around, or behind your eyes. Dry eye syndrome can cause eye pain with a gritty, irritated, orburning sensation. You may often feel like there’s a foreign body in your eye and notice that your eyes are red.

Many people with dry eye have excessive eye tearing, a symptom people with migraines may experience too.

Symptoms of dry eye syndrome tend to come and go within different environments.For example, they can be worse in windy conditions or cold weather.Dry eye syndrome can mimic symptoms of other common eye conditions, like allergic or viralconjunctivitis,blepharitis, or a bacterial eye infection. This is why you need a proper eye examination if you have dry eye symptoms.

Symptoms of dry eye syndrome tend to come and go within different environments.

For example, they can be worse in windy conditions or cold weather.

Dry eye syndrome can mimic symptoms of other common eye conditions, like allergic or viralconjunctivitis,blepharitis, or a bacterial eye infection. This is why you need a proper eye examination if you have dry eye symptoms.

Migraine and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Dry Eye Treatment

The first-line treatment for dry eyes isartificial tears. These are available over-the-counter in liquid, gel, or ointment forms. Preservative-free artificial tears may be ideal but can be costly.

Miebo (perfluorohexyloctane), Xiidra (lifitegrast), and Restasis, Vevye (cyclosporine) are prescription eye drops containing medication that helps promote tear production. Your healthcare provider may give you one of these if artificial tears don’t help.

It’s possible that treating dry eye syndrome may improve your migraine headaches. However, more research is needed to be able to confirm this.

Prescription Drops for Dry Eyes

Coping With Dry Eyes

Environmental coping strategies include:

See an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) if you have symptoms of dry eye syndrome and aren’t getting relief from artificial tears andenvironmental and lifestyle strategies.

Natural Ways to Address Dry Eye

A Word From Verywell

Remember, a link doesn’t mean that one condition causes the other. Rather, a link implies a connection or relationship that may or may not have any significance for you as an individual.

That said, talk to your healthcare provider if you suffer from dry eyes with migraines or headaches. It’s possible that treating your dry eyes could help improve your migraine headaches.

As people with migraines know, it often takes a variety of different strategies and therapies to minimize migraine pain and avoid triggers. Treating dry eyes has the potential to be another tool in your kit.

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Morreale M, Marchione P, Giacomini P, et al.Neurological involvement in primary Sjögren syndrome: a focus on central nervous system.PLoS ONE. 2014;9(1):e84605. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0084605Lee CJ, Levitt RC, Felix ER, Sarantopoulos CD, Galor A.Evidence that dry eye is a comorbid pain condition in a U.S. veteran population.Pain Rep.2017;2(6):e629. doi:10.1097/PR9.0000000000000629Celikbilek A, Adam M.The relationship between dry eye and migraine. Acta Neurol Belg.2015;115(3):329-33. doi:10.1007/s13760-014-0359-yWong M, Dodd MM, Masiowski P, Sharma V.Tear osmolarity and subjective dry eye symptoms in migraine sufferers.Can J Ophthalmol. 2017;52(5):513-518. doi:10.1016/j.jcjo.2017.02.019Digre KB, Brennan KC.Shedding light on photophobia.J Neuroophthalmol. 2012;32(1):68–81. doi:10.1097/WNO.0b013e3182474548American Optometric Association.Dry Eye.

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Morreale M, Marchione P, Giacomini P, et al.Neurological involvement in primary Sjögren syndrome: a focus on central nervous system.PLoS ONE. 2014;9(1):e84605. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0084605Lee CJ, Levitt RC, Felix ER, Sarantopoulos CD, Galor A.Evidence that dry eye is a comorbid pain condition in a U.S. veteran population.Pain Rep.2017;2(6):e629. doi:10.1097/PR9.0000000000000629Celikbilek A, Adam M.The relationship between dry eye and migraine. Acta Neurol Belg.2015;115(3):329-33. doi:10.1007/s13760-014-0359-yWong M, Dodd MM, Masiowski P, Sharma V.Tear osmolarity and subjective dry eye symptoms in migraine sufferers.Can J Ophthalmol. 2017;52(5):513-518. doi:10.1016/j.jcjo.2017.02.019Digre KB, Brennan KC.Shedding light on photophobia.J Neuroophthalmol. 2012;32(1):68–81. doi:10.1097/WNO.0b013e3182474548American Optometric Association.Dry Eye.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Morreale M, Marchione P, Giacomini P, et al.Neurological involvement in primary Sjögren syndrome: a focus on central nervous system.PLoS ONE. 2014;9(1):e84605. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0084605Lee CJ, Levitt RC, Felix ER, Sarantopoulos CD, Galor A.Evidence that dry eye is a comorbid pain condition in a U.S. veteran population.Pain Rep.2017;2(6):e629. doi:10.1097/PR9.0000000000000629Celikbilek A, Adam M.The relationship between dry eye and migraine. Acta Neurol Belg.2015;115(3):329-33. doi:10.1007/s13760-014-0359-yWong M, Dodd MM, Masiowski P, Sharma V.Tear osmolarity and subjective dry eye symptoms in migraine sufferers.Can J Ophthalmol. 2017;52(5):513-518. doi:10.1016/j.jcjo.2017.02.019Digre KB, Brennan KC.Shedding light on photophobia.J Neuroophthalmol. 2012;32(1):68–81. doi:10.1097/WNO.0b013e3182474548American Optometric Association.Dry Eye.

Morreale M, Marchione P, Giacomini P, et al.Neurological involvement in primary Sjögren syndrome: a focus on central nervous system.PLoS ONE. 2014;9(1):e84605. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0084605

Lee CJ, Levitt RC, Felix ER, Sarantopoulos CD, Galor A.Evidence that dry eye is a comorbid pain condition in a U.S. veteran population.Pain Rep.2017;2(6):e629. doi:10.1097/PR9.0000000000000629

Celikbilek A, Adam M.The relationship between dry eye and migraine. Acta Neurol Belg.2015;115(3):329-33. doi:10.1007/s13760-014-0359-y

Wong M, Dodd MM, Masiowski P, Sharma V.Tear osmolarity and subjective dry eye symptoms in migraine sufferers.Can J Ophthalmol. 2017;52(5):513-518. doi:10.1016/j.jcjo.2017.02.019

Digre KB, Brennan KC.Shedding light on photophobia.J Neuroophthalmol. 2012;32(1):68–81. doi:10.1097/WNO.0b013e3182474548

American Optometric Association.Dry Eye.

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