Differential Diagnosis for Left Side Shooting Pain in Eye

• Single most likely diagnosis
  • Migraine: Shooting pain in one eye can be a symptom of a migraine, especially if accompanied by other migraine symptoms like sensitivity to light, nausea, or aura.
• Other Likely diagnoses
  • Cluster headache: These are severe headaches that occur in cycles or clusters, often causing pain on one side of the head or around one eye.
  • Trigeminal neuralgia: This condition affects the trigeminal nerve, which can cause intense, shooting pain in parts of the face, including the eye area.
  • Optic neuritis: Inflammation of the optic nerve can cause pain, especially with eye movement, and is often accompanied by vision loss.
• Do Not Miss (ddxs that may not be likely, but would be deadly if missed.)
  • Acute angle-closure glaucoma: A medical emergency that causes severe eye pain, often accompanied by blurred vision, redness, and nausea. Prompt treatment is necessary to prevent vision loss.
  • Temporal arteritis (Giant Cell Arteritis): Inflammation of the blood vessels can cause severe headaches, jaw pain, and vision problems, including shooting pain in the eye area. If untreated, it can lead to blindness.
• Rare diagnoses
  • Ocular melanoma: Though rare, eye cancer can cause pain, especially if the tumor presses on or invades nearby structures.
  • Sphenoid sinusitis: Infection or inflammation of the sphenoid sinus can cause deep, severe pain behind or around the eyes due to its location near the optic nerves and other critical structures.
  • Cavernous sinus thrombosis: A rare but potentially life-threatening condition where a blood clot forms in the cavernous sinus, which can cause severe headache, eye pain, and other neurological symptoms.