Treatment of postherpetic neuralgia has also proved disappointing. Ocular disease as a cause of eye and orbital pain have been discussed above. It remains here only to reiterate that inflammatory disease of the eye and orbit, acute angle closure glaucoma, and occasionally ocular and orbital tumors may cause pain in the eye or in the region surrounding the eye. Pain on exposure to excessively bright light comprises photophobia. Photophobia represents a referred type of pain through close association of cephalic and sensory centers.
Some individuals complain of severe pain in the eyes and headache after exposure to ordinary light.
During examination, however, they easily tolerate even the brightest of the lights used by the examiner. They have no appreciable refractive error or muscle imbalance. Such persons are described as suffering from retinal asthenopia. Unfortunately, this term has little meaning with respect to any positive findings. We have certainly not been impressed with any consistent, objective abnormalities that have been identified in such patients.