Wicked Headaches

[AugustBurnsDan]

Just curious, does anyone else get horrible headaches from reading textbooks? It seems like after 20 minutes of reading my eyes feel like they are going to explode and I have a throbbing headache in the front of my head.

Vision has always been 20/20 at physicals. Just booked an appointment with an optometrist. I have had this issue since high school, I just always assumed that everyone else just pushed through it.

Dad has used eye glasses since college and Mom uses them for reading.

This is related to allopathic because It's gonna suck if I can't figure this out before school starts.

Thanks

DBAR

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[iceman132]

Just curious, does anyone else get horrible headaches from reading textbooks? It seems like after 20 minutes of reading my eyes feel like they are going to explode and I have a throbbing headache in the front of my head.

Vision has always been 20/20 at physicals. Just booked an appointment with an optometrist. I have had this issue since high school, I just always assumed that everyone else just pushed through it.

Dad has used eye glasses since college and Mom uses them for reading.

Thanks

DBAR

That sounds pretty awful. I get headaches randomly but not just because I read.

 

[desphil]

Just curious, does anyone else get horrible headaches from reading textbooks? It seems like after 20 minutes of reading my eyes feel like they are going to explode and I have a throbbing headache in the front of my head.

Vision has always been 20/20 at physicals. Just booked an appointment with an optometrist. I have had this issue since high school, I just always assumed that everyone else just pushed through it.

Dad has used eye glasses since college and Mom uses them for reading.

This is related to allopathic because It's gonna suck if I can't figure this out before school starts.

Thanks

DBAR

I had the same problem (splitting headaches "behind" my eyes whenever I read or used the computer too long) and ended up getting reading glasses over winter break, which has helped a lot. It might not be the solution for you if you're truly not farsighted at all, but if you are even just a little bit I think the extra magnification can really make a difference. Definitely talk to your optometrist about it!

 

[generator]

semi-related:
I wish they sold audio-books for college textbooks. Then I could "read" while I drive! ... might even help your headache problem too

 

[Pirates1992]

Is this what's wrong with Sidney Crosby?

 

[Kuuaku]

I had the same problem! I got new glasses of course, but what did the trick was preservative free artificial tears 2-3 times a day. I went from weekly headaches to rarely having any.

 

[AugustBurnsDan]

Thanks for the quick replies everybody! Last year I found a visine specifically for eye strain, it would help a bit in terms of keeping my eyes from getting too red.
This issue seriously made classes in the humanities next to impossible with the sheer volume of reading materials.

Lol at the books on tape. I had that idea for a company. Record books on tape, provide a separate bound "book" containing all figures and graphs corresponding with the pages being read. "Glycolysis, see page 45 figure 2." Anyone willing to provide the cash to get me started?"

 

[Ismet]

Just curious, does anyone else get horrible headaches from reading textbooks? It seems like after 20 minutes of reading my eyes feel like they are going to explode and I have a throbbing headache in the front of my head.

Vision has always been 20/20 at physicals. Just booked an appointment with an optometrist. I have had this issue since high school, I just always assumed that everyone else just pushed through it.

Dad has used eye glasses since college and Mom uses them for reading.

This is related to allopathic because It's gonna suck if I can't figure this out before school starts.

Thanks

DBAR

You might need glasses or one eye might have worse eye sight than the other. I've had horrible eyesight my entire life (contacts prescription is -7.50) and last semester I would have really horrible headaches in the front and behind the eyes when I would read, study, or stare at a computer/TV screen for too long. I went to the eye doctor and apparently one of my eyes got even worse, while the other stayed the same, so one eye was straining while the other wasn't. Got new contacts for that eye and the headaches are completely gone! Good luck at the optometrist!

 

[infinitessimal]

Do you get them from reading books for pleasure as well? If no, the problem may not be in the eyes.

 

[AugustBurnsDan]

Do you get them from reading books for pleasure as well? If no, the problem may not be in the eyes.

That's the very thing, I read a lot for pleasure. I blew through the entire Song of Ice and Fire book series (each is like 700+ pages) in no time. Then again, and maybe unrelated, whenever I am out in direct sunlight I get the same kinda headache feeling and strain in my eyes. It's very strange.

-probably falling apart

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Don't read. Works for me.

It looks like you've already been accepted. You shouldn't be reading any textbooks anyway second semester senior year. You should be partying every other day and playing xbox the other ones.

Edit: Looks like you read for pleasure to so for real its probably some kind of eye strain. You probably just aren't 20/20 anymore or never really were if you haven't been to an optometrist for a while.

 

[infinitessimal]

Hell yeah Game of Thrones!

In any case. Feeling eye straining/beginning of headache under direct sunlight is not strange at all. Perhaps it's in the way you perceive information from textbooks. Maybe you shouldn't be reading for 20 minutes straight without looking up, I know I never do. I need to take handwritten notes in order to feel like I'm fully retaining the information, thus minimizing uninterrupted-textbook-reading time. And my notes are much easier to process.

 

[AugustBurnsDan]

Don't read. Works for me.

It looks like you've already been accepted. You shouldn't be reading any textbooks anyway second semester senior year. You should be partying every other day and playing xbox the other ones.

Edit: Looks like you read for pleasure to so for real its probably some kind of eye strain. You probably just aren't 20/20 anymore or never really were if you haven't been to an optometrist for a while.

Calvnandhobbs, i took a year off after i gradated, so I avoid the text books at all costs, only reason I cracked one is I was curious about the mechanics of my running/cycling, so I referenced one of my mom's texts from Occupation Therapy school. Big Mistake

Infinitessimal, Game of Thrones pretty much kicks major butt. Love the series. When I read I tend to read textbooks I go super slow to absorb more information and think about what I'm reading, Maybe it's the longer times that I'm fixating on words/sentences that is causing the issue...

 

[wholeheartedly]

Might also be an issue related to paper type or font size/type. A lot of textbooks can have kind of shiny reflective paper where as paperback reading books tend to be more beige and matte. If you have some light sensitivity that might play a role. As others have mentioned the way you read each might be making the difference too.

 

[kristinairene]

I get this all the time but I'm quite not sure if it's because of reading. I get headache randomly I don't know if it's migraine or just normal headache but the pain always start in the temple or around the front part of the head. I sometimes even feel like throwing up if I don't sleep it off, all I know is that I can't function well if I get this type of headache.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

I get this all the time but I'm quite not sure if it's because of reading. I get headache randomly I don't know if it's migraine or just normal headache but the pain always start in the temple or around the front part of the head. I sometimes even feel like throwing up if I don't sleep it off, all I know is that I can't function well if I get this type of headache.

If you're getting nausea with the headache I would highly suggest seeing your doctor and possibly getting a referral to a neurologist (if you haven't before). Headaches associated with nausea can be a sign of more serious conditions.

 

[kristinairene]

If you're getting nausea with the headache I would highly suggest seeing your doctor and possibly getting a referral to a neurologist (if you haven't before). Headaches associated with nausea can be a sign of more serious conditions.

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind since I will be going to my doctors appointment next week for my physical check-up.

 

[235788]

Might also be an issue related to paper type or font size/type. A lot of textbooks can have kind of shiny reflective paper where as paperback reading books tend to be more beige and matte. If you have some light sensitivity that might play a role. As others have mentioned the way you read each might be making the difference too.

Yeah, i prefer the dull paper. I don't get headaches, but my eyes do strain, which causes discomfort.

OP, goodluck.

 

[Neuralbunny]

I would often get headaches while reading textbooks but not books for pleasure too...I figured out it was due to the fact that I was always looking down at the textbook, since I had to rest it on a table or my lap because of its size. Conversely, I'd hold paperbacks in the air. Try lowering your desk chair so your neck isn't bent so much, or getting a book stand. Definitely helped me!

 

[Musclemass]

....Just booked an appointment with an optometrist. I have had this issue since high school.....

I'm sure you know that optometrists are not medical doctors. With the issue you have, you might do better seeing an ophthalmologist.

Good luck

 

[Ub3rmensch]

Make sure ALL the lights are switched on. You don't want to study in the dark.

 

[EnergyDrink]

Could they be Cluster Headaches? According to Drugs Inc, magic mushrooms help with that.


Edit: Apparently they feel like this

 

[blue0rchid]

i don't get headaches reading books, but I get SUPER sleepy!

 

[tantacles]

Make sure ALL the lights are switched on. You don't want to study in the dark.

Now that would give me a headache.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

I'm sure you know that optometrists are not medical doctors. With the issue you have, you might do better seeing an ophthalmologist.

Good luck

Don't be a douche. An optometrist is perfectly capable of telling you if you might be suffering from eye strain. Depending on how insurance is set up, it's can also be a lot easier to go see an optometrist (vision insurance) than to get a referral from your PCP if you're in a PPO for an ophthalmologist (medical insurance). You don't usually go walking into an ophthalmologist's office for eye strain. If the optometrist doesn't find anything then you might want to start thinking the headaches may not be a result of your vision.

 

[Kadava Reviva]

Tension headaches can be quite painful. These don't just affect the neck muscles. Next time you study, notice your head posture and if you actually strain the muscles in your forehead by trying to open your eyes wider (like raising your eyebrows). This can also affect your temporal muscles. After a few hours of this each day your whole head can hurt.

 

[sharpie1006]

Just curious, does anyone else get horrible headaches from reading textbooks? It seems like after 20 minutes of reading my eyes feel like they are going to explode and I have a throbbing headache in the front of my head.

Vision has always been 20/20 at physicals. Just booked an appointment with an optometrist. I have had this issue since high school, I just always assumed that everyone else just pushed through it.

Dad has used eye glasses since college and Mom uses them for reading.

This is related to allopathic because It's gonna suck if I can't figure this out before school starts.

Thanks

DBAR

Others have probably already said this but...

1. See optometrist
2. Change lighting (go for bright, natural light)
3. Change how you read (When I need to read but I'm tired/my eyes or head hurt, I like to read a paragraph, then close my eyes for just a second or so while summarizing what I just read in my mind. Then repeat)

 

[Rippy087]

Don't be a douche. An optometrist is perfectly capable of telling you if you might be suffering from eye strain. Depending on how insurance is set up, it's can also be a lot easier to go see an optometrist (vision insurance) than to get a referral from your PCP if you're in a PPO for an ophthalmologist (medical insurance). You don't usually go walking into an ophthalmologist's office for eye strain. If the optometrist doesn't find anything then you might want to start thinking the headaches may not be a result of your vision.

This has nothing to do with being a douche, and his response was perfectly appropriate.

1. Splitting headaches is not the same as eye strain.
2. Most people don't even have vision insurance, I sure as heck don't, and I don't know anyone that does.
3. If he is experiencing a true medical problem, then he will end up paying an optometrist AND ophthalmologist or other medical specialist. Aka he will end up spending even more money and wasting more time.

Conclusion: Consider seeing a neurologist or ophthalmologist.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

This has nothing to do with being a douche, and his response was perfectly appropriate.

1. Splitting headaches is not the same as eye strain.
2. Most people don't even have vision insurance, I sure as heck don't, and I don't know anyone that does.
3. If he is experiencing a true medical problem, then he will end up paying an optometrist AND ophthalmologist or other medical specialist. Aka he will end up spending even more money and wasting more time.

Conclusion: Consider seeing a neurologist or ophthalmologist.

1. Wow really? No kidding bud but splitting headaches can be caused by a ton of things...most of which aren't even really understood. Eye strain due to uncorrected refractive error can cause headaches though, so might as well go for the easy stuff first especially if you haven't had your vision checked in a while.
2. Thanks for your anecdotal story, I'm sure you've done a complete survey of people with and without vision insurance. At the end of the day, I have no idea what type of insurance he has or doesn't and what it will or won't cover...the fact of the matter is that can play a significant role in deciding where to go first.
3. Few headaches are "true medical problems". Unless there's some reason for a physician to think it's a secondary headache, it's basically try random stuff until you find what works at stopping the headache. Either way, an ophthalmologist isn't usually the first place you go with "headache" complaints and if your ICP is elevated enough to see with the optic disk a optometrist will be able to recognize it as well. I would hope that's not the case because that indicates more serious problems.

I'm mainly disagreeing with the assertion that it would be appropriate to see an ophthalmologist.