Why do my eyes get itchy when stressed ?

August 18, 2006 11:30 AM

Why do my eyes get itchy when stressed ?

OK some people get headaches, indigestion etc when stressed
-for me - my eyes get incredibly itchy when stressed.

Arriving to work with red eyes is not nice - as people asssume
you were on the vodka all night.

Has anyone ever heard of this before ?

posted by jacobean to health & fitness (5 answers total)

When I was studying for the bar last month, I started getting some severe eye strain. My opthomologist checked me out, found no serious problems, then gave me some Systane eyedrops. I've never used drops before, so I was skeptical, but a drop in each eye seriously relieved my pain and I didn't even feel like rubbing them.
posted by MrZero at 11:43 AM on August 18, 2006

Stress can produce histamines, which can make for itchy eyes. It's possible an over-the-counter anti-histamine like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) could alleviate that symptom (not a doctor, not medical advice, blah blah blah.)
posted by Zed_Lopez at 12:04 PM on August 18, 2006 [1 favorite]

Sometimes when I am stressed or tired, I don't blink as often, which makes my eyes irritated and itchy.

Also, I find that my eyes pulse and itch when I get really stressed, scared, etc -- especially when the situation lasts a while.

A site which describes your symptoms is here -- search the page for 'eyes'.
posted by wonderwisdom at 12:25 PM on August 18, 2006

Benadryl does it for me. Glad I am not the only one with this issue.
posted by SirStan at 1:33 PM on August 18, 2006

Has anyone ever heard of this before ?

There's an odd moment in Act IV of Othello when Desdemona is preparing to go to bed for the last time (it would be fair to say she's "stressed") and she says "Mine eyes do itch; Doth that bode weeping?"
posted by sophieblue at 2:10 PM on August 18, 2006 [2 favorites]