Clinical study of headache with special reference to ophthalmic cause
Background: Rapid modernization of the world requires more attention thereby aggravating eye strain in individuals, resulting into various types of headache disorders. Headache-related disorders are an important cause of disability worldwide, and ophthalmic causes for headache are well known. Obj...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2015
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/8785/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/8785/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/8785/1/P.292-297.pdf |
| Summary: | Background: Rapid modernization of the world requires more attention thereby aggravating eye strain in individuals,
resulting into various types of headache disorders. Headache-related disorders are an important cause of disability
worldwide, and ophthalmic causes for headache are well known.
Objectives: The aims of this study were: (i) to estimate the prevalence of headache disorders in patients attending the eye
OPD; (ii) to evaluate the various causes of headache with special reference to ophthalmic conditions; and (iii ) to study the
correlation between location of headache and possible ocular causes.
Materials and Methods: A prospective study was carried out on 1520 patients from November 2006 to October 2009 at a
tertiary eye care center. Detailed clinical history was taken with particular emphasis on onset, duration, location, intensity,
character, diurnal variation, and exaggerating and relieving factors. Ocular examination included vision, slit-lamp
examination, cycloplegic refraction, orthoptic evaluation, intraocular pressure measurement, and fundoscopy. Besides
ocular examination, medical, ENT, dental, and neurological checkup along with investigations such as hemoglobin, blood
sugar, X-ray of skull and paranasal sinuses, and CT scan of sinuses and brain were carried out whenever needed and
treatment was advised accordingly. The data was entered on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using SPSS
software, version 14.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL). P value o0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Our study included 1520 subjects complaining of headache. Maximum patients (47%) were in the age group of
16–30 years with female preponderance (56%). Ocular headache was found in 36% followed by primary headache (27%),
ENT problems (17%), medical causes (12%), and miscellaneous causes (3%). Out of ocular causes of headache,
refractive error (65%) was the most common cause followed by abnormalities of anterior part of eye (21%), muscles
imbalance (18%), and posterior segment disorders (5%). Among various refractive errors, astigmatism was found in 41%
cases, hypermetropia in 22%, and myopia in 12% patients. In our study, 64% cases were relieved of headache
Conclusion: Headache is multifactorial in origin. Possibility of ocular causes should be kept in mind during management of
headache. An ophthalmologist may play a vital role in establishing the correct diagnosis of headache. |
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