Nighttime Eye Pain

Every night I am woken up multiple times by pains in my eyes...sometimes just one, sometime both. It almost feels like there are rocks or something in my eyes. I used to just put a warm cloth on my eyes and lay down until it stopped. It is much worse and more frequent now. The cloths don't work and i usually end up pacing around because the pain is so bad - laying down just makes it worse. Each "episode" usually lasts for about an hour and the next day my eyes are all red, sore and usually extremely sensitive to light. I have an upcoming appointment with my Opthalmologist, but when I was last there he basically told me it was nothing. Does anyone have any ideas about what this could possibly be and what I might look into?

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

Sounds like it could be severe dry eyes.  Could be worsened by age past menopause, antihistamines, decongestants, bladder medications, anxiety meds, pain meds, sleep meds, diuretics, sleeping with ceiling fan on, reading or using computer a lot.  There are certainly other possible causes, and you need a complete eye exam by an ophthalmologist.  Make an appointment right away.  In the meantime try preservative free artificial tears every hour and a lubricating ointment like Refresh PM at bedtime.  I cannot offer you any more advice because I don't know the specifics or your situation.  My best advice is the see an ophthalmologist right away and mention all the symptoms you just wrote.
MJK MD