Migraine & Headache Behind the Eyes

The Sphenoid, Optic Canal & Dural Sheath

The sphenoid sits near the centre of the skull, behind the eyes. It connects with several cranial and facial bones, including the occiput at the skull base. Within the sphenoid are two small passages called the optic canals—one for each optic nerve.

As the optic nerve passes through this region, its protective sheath has connections with the surrounding tissues and the lining of the bony canal. Further forward, the dural sheath blends with the sclera, the strong outer coat at the back of the eye. Inside the eye, the retina’s nerve fibres come together to form the optic nerve.

The question we explore is whether a mechanical contributor may accompany a person’s migraine and eye discomfort. The presence of a narrow optic canal alone does not mean that the nerve is compressed.

How Might Dural Tension Relate to Eye Discomfort?

For people living with migraine, discomfort around the eyes may accompany head pain, facial pressure or neck stiffness. At Cranial Solutions, we consider how these symptoms fit together within the wider cranial–dural system.

The optic nerve’s dural sheath connects with the tissues at the skull base and the sclera at the back of the eye. Because these tissues are physically connected, they can transmit mechanical forces. Research into eye movement demonstrates that traction through the sheath can place stress on tissues around the optic nerve’s entry into the eye.

Our clinical model explores whether tension within the cranial and facial system could influence loading through these connections and contribute to discomfort around the eyes.

This proposed mechanical relationship concerns accompanying eye discomfort. Typical migraine aura—the spreading zigzags, shimmering patterns or blind spots—is associated with changes in the brain’s visual processing. The two experiences may occur together, but they need not share the same mechanism.

Light Sensitivity & Migraine

When light becomes uncomfortable, everyday activities such as driving in daylight, working under bright lighting or looking at a screen can feel much harder. Light sensitivity can accompany migraine even when there is no visual aura.

Research has identified connections between light signals from the retina and pain pathways that also receive signals from the dura. This helps explain how light can intensify migraine pain. We consider light sensitivity alongside eye discomfort, eye tracking and the wider cranial and neck assessment, and review changes in your ability to manage light and screens as treatment progresses.

The Eye Muscles & Their Structural Support

The muscles that move your eyes work within a closely connected system of bones, tendons and supporting tissues. Four of these muscles arise from a shared tendinous ring deep within the eye socket, beside the optic canal. This ring has connections with the sphenoid and the optic nerve’s protective sheath.

As these muscles travel towards the eye, connective tissue sleeves help guide their movement and link them with the surrounding orbital tissues. The ethmoid forms much of the inner wall of the eye socket, contributing to this wider structural setting.

Discomfort can arise from the eye muscles’ tendons and supporting structures, as well as from migraine itself. This makes the relationship between muscular activity and structural support relevant when considering pain around the eyes.

How We Assess the Wider Pattern

When migraine occurs alongside discomfort around the eyes, we look at how your symptoms fit together. Do they develop with neck stiffness or facial pressure? Are they associated with reading, screen use or eye movement? Do visual changes occur before the pain, during an attack or independently?

Your medical and eye-care history informs a hands-on assessment of the cranial, facial and upper cervical relationships.

We also examine eye tracking—how your eyes follow a moving target—and note any associated discomfort or difficulty.

Our assessment includes palpation of the cranial and facial bones before and after treatment, together with neck movement and your feedback. These hands-on findings help guide our care; we interpret them alongside how you feel and function.

Where appropriate, NasalRx forms part of an individual treatment approach that considers the cranial and facial system together with the upper neck. In our clinical model, the aim is to address structural contributors that may be accompanying your migraine and eye discomfort.

We follow changes that matter to you: the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks, discomfort around the eyes, tolerance of everyday activities and your ability to return to things you enjoy. If you experience aura, we also record its frequency, duration and character, rather than assuming that improvement in head pain means the visual symptoms have changed.

Frequently Asked Questions