# My eyeball hurts **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 27, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284 "2003-12-27T19:04:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/1 "2003-12-27T19:04:20Z")
I don’t have a headache, or sinus infection, or hangover or anything else I can think of that might cause eye pain. This is just odd. Yesterday I had one of those bloody starburst things going on in my right eye, didn’t hurt at all. In fact I didn’t even realize it was there until my nephew happened to glance up and scream “Ewwww, Aunt Tonya’s eye’s bleeding!!” Hehe, looked horrid, of course. While watching Pirates of the Carribbean with the extended family, I was grossing out the kids comparing the pirate with the wooden eyeball to my own gruesome orb. As some karmic payback, today my eye is sore and very light sensitive. I can’t even use the eye-rolling smiley or it’ll hurt. Bah. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/2 "2003-12-27T19:36:04Z")
You should have a doctor check that out before you end up with a wooden eye for real. ---
**Author:** ![blasphmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@blasphmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blasphmer)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/3 "2003-12-27T19:43:03Z")
It’s caused from lack of eye activity. Have you ben slacking in your reading lately? If so you probably have Blue-Eyeballs Syndrome. Read a lot and it’ll go away. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/4 "2003-12-27T20:42:23Z")
Get off the messageboard and get to a hospital emergency room. NOW. Pretty light displays in your eye may indicate a retinal detachment and unless it is treated promptly can lead to permanent visual loss. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/5 "2003-12-27T20:42:23Z")
My eyes hurt last night when I was stoned. Just thought I’d add that. (Marijuana, although decriminalized, is illegal in California, where I am. Use/possession is a crime in most of the US.) Hope you feel better! ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/6 "2003-12-27T22:54:25Z")
Ok, y’all motivated me to call my doctor. To clarify, **Kambuckta** I’m not seeing any weirdness, floaties or lights. The bloody starburst I described yesterday wasn’t in my vision, just a burst blood vessel that looked icky for everyone else. Since I’ve just gotten over the 'flu, my doctor says I probably burst it coughing my fool head off. After his examination, he pronounced my eyeballs good as new. Somehow I want to call my mom and tell her I’ve finally rolled my eyes enough to hurt myself. She’ll feel so vindicated! ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/7 "2003-12-28T00:56:41Z")
Glad your eye is okay. Eye symptoms can be tricky. My eye hurt last week–so much so that I could barely open it and light hurt. Came on suddenly and got extremely red, irritated and watery. When my vision started to go foggy, I got scared and went to the eye doctor thinking I was about to go blind or had a brain tumor (I’m a hypochondriac). Fortunately, it turned out to be a corneal abrasion that had caused corneal edema, probably from my contact lens. He gave me some antibiotic eye drops and I was fine in a day or so. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/8 "2003-12-28T02:21:27Z")
Well, just take that Starburst out of your eye. You should be fine. Happy ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Dracul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/50afbb/32.png) [@Vlad\_Dracul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Dracul)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/9 "2003-12-28T05:56:32Z")
According to our good friend, the Holy Bible: ``` "If thine eye offendeth thee, pluck it out." ``` ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/10 "2003-12-28T06:18:15Z")
Once, in third grade, I turned over my worksheet and got a papercut on my eye. Yes, it hurt like a bitch, but it didn’t bleed or anything. My eye got all swollen and red and I had to go home for the day. It healed up pretty quickly, though. ---
**Author:** ![look\_hergo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85e7bf/32.png) [@look\_hergo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_hergo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/11 "2003-12-28T06:44:32Z")
Gee, and I thought I was the only person in all of humanity to have a papercut on my eyeball. Whaddya know. Mine got me three days off work and the worst headache I’ve ever had in my life. I still have episodes of “corneal erosion” if my eye gets dry and I rub it. Owie owie owie… ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/12 "2003-12-28T06:59:01Z")
Keep an eye on it. I recently had my doctor misdiagnose a deep ulcer in the eye as a minor corneal abrasion. I now have a scar on my eye that is probably permanent and some possible permanent drooping in the eye, early treatment might have helped. ---
**Author:** ![Ice97531](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@Ice97531](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice97531)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/13 "2003-12-29T00:47:35Z")
…a fake eyeball would be cool… ---
**Author:** ![blasphmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@blasphmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blasphmer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/14 "2003-12-29T01:02:10Z")
Or you could get a sword and get a patch for the socket. Yeah be a pirate heh heh. ---
**Author:** ![BellaDellaItalia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BellaDellaItalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellaDellaItalia)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/15 "2003-12-29T01:36:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Gee, and I thought I was the only person in all of humanity to have a papercut on my eyeball. Whaddya know. Mine got me three days off work and the worst headache I’ve ever had in my life. I still have episodes of “corneal erosion” if my eye gets dry and I rub it. Owie owie owie… Nope, that happened to me, too in fourth grade. Felt like I ran a razor blade over my eye. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/16 "2003-12-29T04:56:36Z")
Paper cuts…on **eyes**??? _runs screaming from thread with huge ugly safety goggles on_ ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/17 "2003-12-29T05:03:28Z")
I had a friend who cut the same eye twice with paper and once when his baby’s hand went flailing… in the same month. Ow. ---
**Author:** ![drafty\_de](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@drafty\_de](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drafty_de)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyeball-hurts/221284/18 "2003-12-30T03:30:25Z")
Glad to hear you went to the eye doc. I had eye pain in my right eye for a week. That was in June. By July I had lost nearly 90% of my vision in my right eye. I was diagnosed with Optic Neuritis. O.N. can be a precursor to Multiple Sclerosis. O.N. is described as swelling of the optic nerve behind the eyeball. So be very careful about “eye pain”. After being treated with mind altering moodswinging heavy doses of steroids I have about 75% of the vision back in my right eye. Also have had to consult with a neurologist and had 2 MRIs on my brain… Oh Joy!!