Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose:Recently was described that ocular surface irritation symptoms and photophobia may be associated with headache, forming «Irritable Eye Syndrome». The aim of our studies was to evaluate comorbidity of headache and these ocular pain sensations Methods:Out patients of both neurology and ophthalmology who reported headache in one year of period were evaluated by the criteria of International Headache Society. Ocular symptoms were evaluated by questioner and ocular examinations. Age and sex matched non-headache patients were also selected from out patients for control Results:Among the headache patients, nearly fifty percent suffered from tension type headache, migraine occurred approximately 35%, cluster type headache was less than 10 percent, while in the reaming cases the diagnosis was uncertain or were mixed forms. Photophobia was common finding in migraine patients, most of them reported photophobia even between migraine attack. Tension type headache was less frequently associated with photophobia. Peripheral retinal dystrophy was more common in photophobia patient than headache patient without photophobia and in control cases. Ocular surface inflammation associated either with increased tearing («wet eye») or decreased tearing («dry eye») were found in approximately two thirds of headache patients, while it was very rare in control cases Conclusion:Our observations showed that headache is frequently associated with abnormal tearing and symptoms of ocular surface inflammation as well as with photophobia and peripheral retinal dystrophy. Furthermore, these findings presented further evidences that the trigeminal sensory nerve involvement (pain related neurogen inflammation) may be the pathophysiologic link between ocular surface inflammation, peripheral retinal dystrophy and headache.
Keywords: 437 inflammation • 486 neuro-ophthalmology: diagnosis