Eye ache

[fly258]

I have never had a headache in my life but I woke up yesterday morning with a slight dull ache towards the rear of my eyes. It felt worse when I focused on a close object. It has now completely gone. Can anyone suggest what it might have been and need I take it further?

[AB Editor]

For all medical questions, we strongly advise you to seek professional advice from your doctor or a healthcare professional.  Please do not rely on, or wait for, advice from Answerbank users.

[gypsy]

go to the doctor you cant afford to play around with eyes..as eyesight is very preciouse..it may just be eye strain and the doctor will reassure you...gypsy

[KEJ2000]

I have had this kind of eye-ache upon awakening before, though not often.  I think it is caused by having had too much "rapid eye movement" sleep the night before.  As you know, during the phase of sleep that includes dreaming, our eyes are darting about very quickly.  If you have had several days and nights' worth of deprived sleep (not enough hours), or your sleep has been interrupted rather than continuous, you may acquire a kind of REM-sleep-deficiency.  On the night that you finally *do* get enough hours of non-interrupted sleep, your brain "catches up" on all of its REM sleep in the same night.  Experiencing that many hours' worth of constant, rapid eye movement leads to the kind of eye-ache you described, when you first awaken the following morning.  Thus, the only way to prevent it is to get higher-quality sleep every night; but once you have the eye-ache, an acetominophen tablet should help.

[fly258]

Sounds exactly what the problem could be KEJ2000.

Ive not slept too well just recently.