Eyeball Hurts When Touched

If your eyeball hurts when you touch it, that's a reason to see an ophthalmologist. In this article, we will discuss the main causes of touching and rubbing pain in the eyeball and the methods used in ophthalmology to solve this problem.

Sore eyeballs to the touch can leave your entire face feeling irritated depending upon its intensity. There are various reasons you might be having the sore feeling. Some lifestyle tendencies can cause pain in the eyes. Allergens and eye conditions as are some other contributing factors. We explore what a sore eyeball is consisting of one that is delicate to touch, bruised or bloodshot along with what causes sore eyeballs.

What is a Sore Eyeball?

Inning accordance with Eyeinstitute, sore eyes are highly related to a condition called dry eye syndrome. Pain that results from sore eyes may disappear by itself, or might become consistent and indicate a symptom of a more severe problem.

The basic eyeball sore to the touch sensation is usually associated witch some gritty and itchy experience in the eyes. Sometimes, this infection includes other associated pains impacting the eye including eyelids and the mucus membranes.

sensation of eyeball hurts to touch

Too much drinking can cause dehydration in the body. The same uses with smoking. When this takes place, the eyes end up being dry, an aspect that contributes inflammation and discomfort in the eyes.

When injury is applied on the eyes, some damage could take place. Depending on the seriousness, you might experience sore eyeball muscles. This is more so where the force used is excessive. Together with the muscles other internal structures might as well get hurt.

In severe cases, muscular ligaments might get trapped in between the bones resulting in other disorders such as sinus pain and headaches. Medical attention is required to treat this.

Red also: What causes red eyeballs

Eyeball Hurts When Touched: Causes

There are a variety of reasons you might be having a sore eyeball to touch. The pain ends up being most evident when something gets into contact with the eye. Some of the things that might lead to this consist of:

  • Abrasions: This happens when a foreign body in the eye causes a scratch which might be on the eyeball. A little scratch can be very painful to touch however will heal itself with time. Where need be, some antibiotic treatment can help to quicken the healing procedure.
  • Corneal Ulcerations: These can also result in case there is an eyeball infection. Sometimes there might be a feeling as if something is inside the eye. In severe cases, the discomfort might develop into corneal ulcers. In such cases, you will have to see an optometrist for treatment.

In other circumstances, the sensation of eyeball hurts to touch might not be as specific. Sometimes when your eyeball feels sore, it might have absolutely nothing to do with it. A stye takes place when the eyelid gets infected near to the hair follicles. This leads to some pain and pain which might be misinterpreted to be coming from the eyeball. This though typically has absolutely nothing to do with the eyeballs considering that the condition is on the external side of the eye.

Reyus Mammadli/ author of the article

I’m the author and editor of this health blog, active since 2008. With a background in medical and biotechnical devices, I focus on making health and self-care topics—especially in ophthalmology—clear and accessible.

Although I’m not a licensed physician, I’ve spent over 15 years working with medical literature and guidelines, with particular attention to trusted ophthalmic sources such as the American Academy of Ophthalmology, National Eye Institute, and PubMed. I also follow the latest updates in diagnostics and treatment technologies.

My aim is to help readers better understand eye diseases, tests, and treatment options—so they can feel more confident when consulting a doctor.

Note: This blog does not provide medical diagnoses or treatments. It offers clear, reliable health information to support informed conversations with healthcare professionals.