Dark ring on sclera

[Sarah3785]

For the last few years I have had a lot of eye pain along with my migraines. My husband noticed that when my migraines are really bad I suddenly have what looks to be a large circle around my iris - however there is a gap of white sclera between the iris and the dark ring. I had my eyes checked once before for the pain, but didn't think to mention the dark circle. My eyes checked out okay he just said the pressure was a little high. I just wish I knew what was going on and if it's normal. It feels like my eyes are hard and it hurts pretty badly. Any suggestions on what it could possibly be?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Your "eye doctor" should be an Eye MD ophthalmologist. If you are seeing an optometrist go see a real physician. I'm concerned about "the little high pressure"

A white ring on the cornea such as your describe is most often "arcus senilis" or "arcus juvenalis"  you can google IMAGES those two terms to see if they look like what you have. It can be a sign of normal aging but call also be due to high blood cholesterol.

JCH MD

[AnnaE]

The doctor will answer you tomorrow, but I know one thing he will tell you. You should see an eye MD ophthalmologist immediately. For one thing, you need to monitor eye pressure that is above normal, This can be a cause of extreme pain.