Nerve Compression in the Eyes and Temples

Posture may cause nerve compression in the neck. But what could cause nerve compression in the eyes and temples?

After having migraine surgery on December 2, 2017, the migraine pain in my neck completely disappeared.

But I have continued having mild and infrequent headaches in my eyes and temples, so I have begun considering a second visit to Dr. Peled to have migraine surgery done on these areas as well.

A lingering question has been bugging me, though.

I could explain what caused the nerve damage in my neck: 25 years of poor neck posture. But what could have caused nerve compression in the eyes and temples, since these areas are not stressed and strained by poor posture?

Eye and Temple Compression a Side Effect of Neck Compression

During my 6 week follow up with Dr. Peled, he explained that my question was a common one. Nerve compression in my eyes and temples was not caused by something I did, he explained.

Instead, it was a side effect of the inflammation and compression in my neck.

Here's how it works: the nerves of the neck, eyes and temples all emerge from the spinal column in the same small area.

So when the nerves of the neck become inflamed (due to poor posture, for example), this strains the eye and temple nerves that are running alongside them in the same channel out of the spine.

As a result, the eye and temple nerves become inflamed. Since the channels of tissue that these nerves run through do not grow in order to accommodate the inflamed nerves, these nerves become compressed, which creates even more stress, strain and inflammation.

So nerve compression in the eyes and neck is just a byproduct of the more intuitively explainable inflammation of the neck nerves.

Neck Decompression Sometimes Heals Eye and Temple Headaches

Dr. Peled has explained on several occasions that often nerve pain in the eyes and temples ceases after migraine surgery is performed on the nerves of the neck.

These nerves may begin calming down immediately after surgery, and may take up to a year to heal completely following decompression of the nerves in the neck (depending on how compressed they were in the first place).

That is why Dr. Peled suggests waiting at least 3-6 months after occipital nerve decompression surgery before deciding to have a follow up migraine nerve decompression surgery on the eyes and temples.