Facial pain with vision changes

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Facial pain with vision changes

Severe pain around the eye or over the forehead can be caused by migraine headaches. Vision changes that sometimes occur with migraine headaches are painless and occur before the headache actually starts. Home treatment and rest may be all that is needed to relieve the pain caused by a migraine headache.

Facial pain with a change in what or how we see also can be the first symptom of a serious nervous system problem.

• Vision changes, such as new blurred vision, halos around lights, and pain in the eye, that progress quickly may mean narrow or closed-angle glaucoma has developed. Prompt treatment can prevent complications.
• Sudden, partial, or total loss of vision can be a symptom of a loss of blood supply to the area of the brain that controls vision.
• It also can be a sign of a sudden blockage in the blood vessel that supplies blood to the eye. Visual changes are one of many possible symptoms of a stroke. Temporary loss of vision also can be a symptom of a transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Call your health professional immediately if you experience facial pain with loss of vision in one or both eyes.

Credits

Last updated:	May 15, 2007
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer