BODY SIGNAL ALERT: HEADACHE WITH CHANGE IN THE SIZE OF ONE PUPIL, NAUSEA, DOUBLE VISION, SEVERE PAIN BEHIND THE EYE, AND CONFUSION
Description and Possible Medical Problems
If you get severe headaches from time to time or even a migraine, which is a severe headache coupled with sensitivity to light, nausea, and vomiting (see also “Headache with Sensitivity to Light, Nausea, and
Vomiting” below), you may find that because your eyes become more sensitive to light during the headache, whenever you do manage to open them all the way, the pupils in both eyes are dilated, or enlarged. Usually, the pupils return to their normal size after your headache goes away.
If, however, you have a headache and only one pupil is dilated, you’re confused, and you also feel nauseous and a have stabbing pain behind this same eye, call your doctor immediately.
Though the condition is rare and usually appears in men and women under 50, these body signals are signs of internal bleeding of the brain, known as an intracerebral hemorrhage. This condition is usually caused by a weakened blood vessel or an aneurysm in the section of the brain called the circle of Willis, which is located at the base of the brain and controls the blood supply to the brain. A tumor in the brain or meningitis can also cause a severe headache with a change in mental state, but an intracerebral hemorrhage is frequently brought on by an extreme physical activity like weight lifting or hanging upside down; there seems to be a genetic aspect to developing an intracerebral hemorrhage. It can be life-threatening, so immediate medical attention is necessary.
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