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What Causes Eye Pain?

Carlos Belmonte1, M Carmen Acosta2, Jesus Merayo-Lloves3

  • 1Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC San Juan de Alicante, Avenida de la Universidad, s/n, 03202 Alicante, Spain ; Instituto Fernandez Vega, Fundación de Investigación Oftalmológica, Av Doctores Fernández Vega, 34, 33012 Oviedo, Asturias Spain.

Current Ophthalmology Reports
|May 23, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Eye pain arises from specific sensory neurons and ion channels. Inflammation and nerve injury alter these channels, causing various types of eye pain, including dryness and neuropathic pain.

Keywords:
Dry eyeEye inflammationEye painNerve injuryNeuropathic painPathobiological modulationPeripheral pain mechanismsPhysiological or nociceptive painTransduction mechanisms

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Ophthalmology
  • Pain Research

Background:

  • Eye pain involves complex sensory and emotional experiences mediated by the nervous system.
  • Physiological eye pain originates from trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons stimulated by noxious stimuli.
  • These neurons are functionally diverse, including mechano-nociceptors, polymodal nociceptors, and cold thermoreceptors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the specific ion channels and neuronal mechanisms underlying different types of eye pain.
  • To understand how inflammation and nerve injury contribute to chronic and neuropathic eye pain.
  • To differentiate the sensory pathways involved in pain versus dryness sensations in the eye.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of ion channel expression (Piezo2, TRPV1, TRPA1, TRPM8) in TG neurons.
  • Correlation of specific ion channel activity with distinct pain sensations (pricking, burning, stinging, dryness).
  • Investigation of neuronal sensitization and altered ion channel function in inflammatory and neuropathic pain models.

Main Results:

  • Mechano-nociceptors (Piezo2) mediate pricking pain; polymodal nociceptors (TRPV1, TRPA1) mediate burning/stinging pain.
  • Cold thermoreceptors (TRPM8) are primarily associated with sensations of dryness.
  • Inflammation sensitizes polymodal nociceptors, while nerve injury leads to aberrant firing and neuropathic pain.

Conclusions:

  • Specific ion channels in distinct ocular sensory neurons are responsible for different eye sensations.
  • Inflammation and nerve injury induce maladaptive changes in these ion channels, leading to persistent and neuropathic eye pain.
  • Understanding these mechanisms can inform targeted treatments for various ocular pain conditions.