Tight headache behind my eyes at work
It creeps up on you through the workday. A tight band of pressure sits behind both eyes. By mid-afternoon you may be rubbing your brow or turning the lights down.
Long screen hours are a common reason for this. You blink less when you stare, and your eyes hold one close focus for hours. The small muscles around the eyes and brow stay tense, and that tension is often felt as a headache.
Other things feed into it. Glare, a screen set too high or too low, dry office air, and skipped meals all play a part. Some people also need glasses, or a new lens strength, and do not know it yet.
When to see someone
Get help right away if the pain starts fast and hits hard, or comes with a stiff neck, fever, or throwing up. See a doctor or eye doctor soon for pain in a red eye, halos around lights, loss of sight, weakness on one side, or slurred speech. Book a check-up if the headaches keep getting worse, wake you at night, follow a knock to the head, or are new for you after age 50.
Below is a list of steps and remedies that people use for eye strain at work. Each one carries a grade for how strong the research behind it is, not a promise of how it will go for you. Low grades mean the proof is thin or mixed, so check with your doctor before you try something new.



