Review Article - Journal of Clinical Ophthalmology (2025) Volume 9, Issue 1

Ocular pain and cervicogenic headache.

Because headaches often include the orbital and periorbital areas, it is not uncommon for patients to go to the ophthalmologist complaining of pain in the eye. However, not all eye pain is caused by ocular or orbital disorders. Various head, face, and neck structures can cause this symptom. Cervicogenic headache is defined as head pain originating in the cervical spine, including its bony elements, discs, and soft tissues. It is essential to know how to recognize scenarios in which the primary disorder is of the cervical spine to reduce cases of undiagnosed eye pain, avoid unnecessary procedures, alleviate patient suffering, and prevent debilitating consequences of dangerous cervical disorders. This article reviews the diagnosis, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and pathophysiology of cervicogenic ocular pain. We also discuss disorders of neck structures other than the cervical spine that potentially cause orbital or periorbital pain.

Author(s):

Marco Antonio Takashi Utiumi, Elcio Juliato Piovesan*

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