What causes that needle-poking sensation in the eye? Eye pain, eye discomfort, and even eye tearing can feel just like a needle being poked into your eye, but this sensation can be caused by many different things. There’s nothing more irritating than the sensation of something poking at your eye and it’s even more annoying when you can’t figure out what it is. 

A needle sensation in your eye happens when you feel like there’s a thin needle poking at the inside of your eyelid and can happen when you touch or rub your eye. The poking sensation could also be accompanied by light sensitivity, as well as redness in the affected area of your eye. Thankfully, this condition isn’t very common and typically goes away on its own without any treatment within 24 hours. Learn about some of the most common causes of this painful feeling below.

Causes a Needle Poking Sensation in the Eye?

If you’re getting a needle-poking sensation in your eye, don’t panic! You’re not actually feeling something pierce your eye, but rather experiencing what’s called an ocular migraine aura. Auras are sensory experiences (smell, vision) that are usually brought on by migraine headaches, though they sometimes occur before an attack occurs. Read on to learn more about this common cause of vision disturbances and find out how you can treat it.

The Basic Anatomy

To understand what causes that sensation, you need to know how your eye works. The cornea is your eye’s outermost layer and is responsible for focusing light on your retina, which sends an image to your brain. The retina is at risk of damage if its blood supply—the choroid—is injured or damaged by trauma or infection; it can also detach from its normal position due to anything from glaucoma to macular degeneration.

A Few Possible Diagnoses

Hyphema – A hyphema is created when blood collects in front of and behind your iris. In most cases, it’s harmless. However, if you notice redness or blurriness from your treated hyphema, contact your eye doctor immediately to be evaluated for retinal detachment. Retinal Detachment – Retinal detachment occurs when tears or holes appear in your retina, causing it to separate from its anchor and form a mass of fluid that gathers at the back of your eye. As that happens, you could begin to see flashes of light or black spots due to bleeding under your retina; eventually, these symptoms can become permanent blindness if not corrected quickly through surgery.

Treatments and Prevention

If you get an itchy, prickly, or needle-like sensation in your eye, it could be caused by dry eye. This condition is marked by increased evaporation of tears and makes eyes feel uncomfortable, gritty, and irritated. It’s common among those who work at computers for extended periods of time—the air from your computer’s cooling system can evaporate some of your tear films, leaving your eyes feeling dehydrated and uncomfortable. To treat dry eye