Eye Pain in Toddler

Updated on February 23, 2014
M.I. asks from Lutz, FL
15 answers

Hello everyone,

I am so terribly worried about my 2 1/2 year old son. Started over a month ago that he would grab his head an yell out "mommy, head hurt", it would go away within a minute. This last for a couple weeks and happend once or twice a day, there were no other symptoms. That when on for about two weeks and suddenly stopped. I s/w nurses and other med professional which advised it was probabaly just due to a virus. Then about a week or two later, my son would grab his right eye and do the same, it now has been over two weeks. I have taken him to his primary which found nothing wrong with the the exterior of his eyea and I do have an appt with a specialist on 1/18, however it seems to be getting more frequent than a couple of times a day and that is really starting to freak me out!
I have done alot of research however I cannot find anything with just eye pain. He seems very healthy and does not seem to exhibit any signs of pain or illness. I was hoping for some insight/support, I havent been able to get my my mind off of it! I will probably take him to the ER if it becomes more often just to get him diagnosed, 2 1/2 weeks seem so long to wait for an appt.

What can I do next?

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C.F.

answers from Tampa on

I would also go to a children's ER, say at St. Joe's or UCH, depending on where you're at. If nothing else, they'll do bloodwork to rule things, such as cancer, out. If he has high levels of anything that could cause it, then it'll show up in the bloodwork, too. Plus, you can still keep the appointment with the specialist, and take with you all the testing that was already done at the ER. It'll save you a step. You know the specialist will want to do an MRI or bloodwork anyway, and you'll probably have another week or two after the visit for a follow-up appointment where the specialist will review the results. There are a lot of things it could be, as others below mentioned. Could be an eye infection (though that would be noticeable), could be sinus pain (there are sinus ducts behind the eyes), a migraine (you could try getting sugar out of his diet for a while, and increasing fluids), an undiagnosed eye disease, or it could be something scary-- cancer of the eye, or tumor behind the eye, etc. etc. Once or two a day over a period weeks is something I would definitely want taken seriously. Sometimes primaries DON'T take things seriously, sadly enough. Better to over-react then to ignore a possibly bad situation.

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G.M.

answers from Sarasota on

Could this possibly be a migraine? I used to get killer migraines and they always involve one eye.

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K.M.

answers from Tampa on

2 1/2 weeks is too long- take him and have everything ruled out, and then if they don't have a diagnosis, and you have ruled out all the things they can check for, then take him to a Chiropractor from the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.
You are his advocate-trust your knowingness on this. Listen to what you are told, and assess it for your self.
Best wishes, Kyah

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R.W.

answers from Tampa on

Not sure where you are located but call this eye doctor and see if she can get him in right away. She gave me her cell in case of an emergency. It wouldn't hurt to try calling her. First call the eye place I am giving you the number for. Value Optical ###-###-####.
The eye doctor is Dr. Licata ###-###-####. She is a real doctor and not just one that examines eyes for glasses. Her main office is in Tampa but Value Optical is in Plant City. Call her right away. I am sure she will help or advise you on what to do.

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J.C.

answers from Tampa on

i dont want to alarm you but make you aware of a one in a million chance. i started having similar symptons, a short quick pain would shoot thru my head, then another time it felt like my eye was being stabbed and the pressure behind it felt like it would pop out of the socket. both were very short and very painful. my primary, my eye dr both said they couldnt find anything wrong. so after i jumped up and down with my primary she sent me to a neurovascular/ nurology specialist at tampa general hospital.at the tower building next door, with an indepth blood test he found, i have what is called SLE
it is something that means my body is making little blood clots that have to pass thru my body, and sometimes they have trouble passing thru the little veins so they do like a football player and charge. his name is dr. erfan a albakri and i think he is one of the best drs ive had in my 65 years. i dont mean this is what is happening with your situation, but it is a thought. it took over 2 years for someone to find out what it was. im on plavix a blood thinner and a baby asprin a day and have had no problems in over 2 years. ive found SLE can happen a any age. good luck and GOD BLESS J.

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P.N.

answers from Tampa on

2 weeks is way to long. I second the recommendation for a neurologist. It could be many things and I would not trust the ped. decision that it was nothing serious. It took them 4 months to agree to send us to a ped. pulmonologist when my son had a chronic cough that lasted over 4 months...they kept saying there was nothing wrong. There was something wrong, they just did not have the knowledge to diagnosis it. General practioneers do not have all the answers, if they did we would not need specialists. You need someone who has specialized skills, a really good eye doctor or a nuerologist. On this thread, there seemed to be some good starting points of problems. Be it an eye issue, little blood clots or something much more serious. I would take him to a pediatric care center, St. Joe's, All Childrens, Moffit, somewhere that is good w/kids and won't blow you off.
God bless you and yours and I hope its something simple

P.

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M.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi,

I also have a 2 1/2 year old son who has been complaining about pain in his right eye and we have taking him to his primary, the ER and nothing has been found. We have taking him to an optomitrist but he would not cooperate for the tests. Im really worried as to what his wrong with him. He starting complaining about his eye pain when he fell and hit the right side of his head and ended up getting a lump on that side. I was curious as to what the specialist told you about you son.

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D.R.

answers from Sarasota on

I would take him to All Children's in Sarasota A.S.A.P.!!!!!!!!!!!! OR LAKEWOOD RANCH and at least see a neurologist !!!!!!

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H.J.

answers from Tampa on

I know how worried you must be, but keep in mind 90% of the things we worry about don't come true and the other 10% we have no control over anyway...that being said could it be sinuses? When I started several years ago to get sinus infections and sinus headaches due to the pressure I had no idea what it was. The first time it happened it felt like someone had punched me in the face the pain was so bad but I could breathe fine... I know it sounds silly but the only way to find out if it is indeed sinuses is an x-ray. That is a quick way to find out. I pray you get an answer quickly and that it is a simple explanation. take care

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M.H.

answers from Sarasota on

so frustrating, I feel so bad for you. The worst thing is knowing something is wrong with the most important person in your world but not knowing what it is. I think I would do the ER as well. You get your basis covered there. Not only is it long to wait for an app, but it also might not end there either. Next time it happens, it couldn't hurt to go to the ER and keep us updated, this is very curious.

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J.L.

answers from Tampa on

Have they flushed his tear ducts? Mine were clogged at birth and have acted up recently. It is a very strong pain in the eye that comes and goes. Might be somthing to do with that...
Good Luck
J.

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J.T.

answers from Houston on

I just found this post because I was looking for an answer for my daughter who just turned two and is having the same problem. Have you found any answers or has the problem stopped?

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J.S.

answers from Tampa on

M.,
Have you thought about having your son see a chiropractor? Sometimes these shocking vibrations are from nerve impulses in the nervous system. My 2 yr old son had a stroke last septmeber(2008) and I'll give my right arm to see all children be adjusted from the miracle of our full recovery in only 2 months. And we are talking full right sided paralysis with the medical world's expectation of 3 months of inpatient rehab. Good Luck! Hope this helps.

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S.D.

answers from Lakeland on

Hi M.,
This is nothing to play with and general practioners often do not lots. I would take him to a specialist. I would choose a Neurologist.
Good lick to you & your Son!!

S.

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L.P.

answers from Tampa on

I would wait for the appointment with the specialist. I had terrible headaches as a child (and still do). I would complain that my eye was hurting and it was and still is a piercing pain in my eye. Although there is nothing wrong with my eyes the pain just happen to be distributed and the worst in my eye. I was and still am on perscription medication for these migraines (as they have casued me to pass out). I understand your frustration and worry, but if the doctor thought there was something life threatening he/she would have made sure you saw a specialist ASAP. My husband works in the ER and chances are if you have an appointment with a specialist they will not be much of a help, they general say the same thing primary doctors say -I am not a doctor, so if you feel you really need to go to the ER by all means go! Try not to worry too much the two weeks will go by faster than you think and worrying wont help anything. Good luck and let us know what happens!

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