"Patients can commonly experience symptoms of eye pain, sensitivity to light, blurred vision and fluctuating visual clarity, difficulty focusing, visual overload and dry eyes," Dr Pellegrino explains.
Fibromyalgia can be associated with ocular symptoms (foreign body sensation, irritation) and visual disturbances (blurred vision), coexisting with dry eye syndrome and reduced corneal sensitivity. Cases of scleritis, including the necrotizing form, accompanying fibromyalgia have been reported.
The pain is most often accompanied by fatigue, sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, headaches, depression, and anxiety. People with fibromyalgia may also have tenderness in the joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues.
Fibromyalgia can cause pain in the eye sockets if the muscles in the upper back or neck are tense.
Due to the complexity of mechanisms involved in ocular neuropathic pain, the subjective symptoms of corneal dysesthesia can vary significantly. Patients may describe feelings of burning, aching, boring, hot poker-like fire, foreign body, and photophobia.
Mild eye pain can be a symptom of eyestrain or tiredness. The area around the eyes may also hurt during a migraine headache or sinus infection.
Fibromyalgia has many symptoms that tend to vary from person to person. The main symptom is widespread pain. There may be periods when your symptoms get better or worse, depending on factors such as: your stress levels.
The drugs amitriptyline, duloxetine, milnacipran and pregabalin can relieve fibromyalgia pain in some people. They may cause side effects such as a dry mouth or nausea. Normal painkillers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen (paracetamol) aren't recommended for the treatment of fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain and spinal cord process painful and nonpainful signals.
The most helpful treatment approach for fibromyalgia is a combination of self-care, physical activity and cognitive-behavioral therapy. But medication may also be needed.
The FM/a ® Test analyzes your immune system's white blood cells for their chemokine and cytokine protein patterns. Those who suffer from fibromyalgia will show an abnormal pattern of these protective proteins.
Jaw and facial pain
It's possible for fibromyalgia to be linked to pain in the muscles of the jaw and face (temporomandibular joint disorder) or to myofascial (skeletal muscle) pain in one part of the body. Such occurrences could be considered forms of regional or localized or incomplete fibromyalgia.
The central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves) transmits information all over your body through a network of specialised cells. Changes in the way this system works may explain why fibromyalgia results in constant feelings of, and extreme sensitivity to, pain.
Teeth grinding is another issue frequently experienced by those of us with FM. For this reason, I had my dentist make me a mouth guard, which I'm embarrassed to say I don't wear every night. Grinding wears down tooth enamel, can cause teeth to break, and exacerbates the pain of TMJ.
Although large-scale studies are still needed to confirm their effectiveness, the newest FDA-approved treatments for fibromyalgia include Quell and milnacipran. Quell is an over-the-counter transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator intended to be used for pain relief.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three drugs for use in fibromyalgia: pregabalin (Lyrica), duloxetine (Cymbalta), and milnacipran (Savella). Pregabalin is used to reduce pain and improve sleep.
In some cases, the doctor may recommend a multivitamin that includes antioxidant vitamins A, C, D, E, and the B vitamins, as well as calcium, magnesium, selenium, and zinc to ease symptoms. Coenzyme Q10. This antioxidant, used to convert food into energy, has shown some promise in treating fibromyalgia symptoms.
Several rheumatic diseases can mimic fibromyalgia. These include sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Lyme disease, polymyalgia rheumatica and lupus. They have symptoms of widespread pain along with joint involvement.
Stressful or traumatic events, such as car accidents, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Repetitive injuries. Injury from repetitive stress on a joint, such as frequent knee bending. Illness (such as viral infections)
Certain events or changes in your life can trigger a fibromyalgia flare-up. Everyone is different, and what triggers symptoms for some people might not for you. In general, anything that increases your stress can trigger a flare-up, including: Emotional stress caused by your job, financial situation or social life.
However, home remedies such as getting enough rest, taking plenty of fluids, and cleaning your nose with salt water can help relieve symptoms. If the symptoms persist, your doctor will recommend over-the-counter pain relievers (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin), decongestants and allergy medications.
If your eye pain is moderate or severe, take Paracetamol 1 gram (2 x 500mg tablets) every 6 hours together with Ibuprofen 400mgs every 8 hours. Ibuprofen should be taken with a meal or after a meal or snack. Do not take more than 6 ibuprofen tablets in 24 hours.
There are many types of headaches, but tension headaches and migraines are two common types that can cause pressure behind the eyes. Sinus headaches (see below) can also cause this type of feeling in the head. Symptoms of a migraine may include: Pain or pressure behind the eye.