Can a deviated septum affect muscles around the eye?

I have been having problems with my sinuses/eyes for over 2 years now. Finally, my doctor has told referred me to an ENT at an eye hospital; however, this is not until January.

I have wanted to sort this out for a long time as it affects my life quite drastically but I do not want to miss this opportunity to get it sorted out.

Basically, I just wanted to know whether a deviated septum can affect that side of the face below and above the eye? My eyes have been examined and are very healthy, yet I struggle waking in the morning due to the pain and also with the light.

I also receive regular nose bleeds and struggle to breathe through one nasal passage.

Thanks

Reply 1

martin101

10

frankly, its a bit hard to tell from a vague description, though instincts and training tell me more likely than not the answer is a resounding no.

Reply 2

bexicle89

14

I have a deviated septum and it doesn't cause me any problems, but I can see where you're coming from... though surely the septum cartilage starts much further down from the eye and under the nose bridge, so I don't know/

I don't reallly understand how it could be causing nosebleeds, if the deviated septum is something you've always had your body would be accostomed to it.

You know best thing to do, go to your GP and really complain about these symptoms, they'll sort out some sort of rhinoplasty.

Reply 3

NatalieMT

16

The ENT can atleast hopefully do more tests, such as putting a small flexible camera up your nose to see any problems and perhaps a CT scan to see the bone and sinus structure in your face. It might explain some of the eye pain if that flags up any issues or atleast give a clearer overall view. Then any findings can be more accurately treated. I'm sure there is certainly some help out there for you!

I have a deviated septum too, the only problem I've experienced that is similar to yours is trouble breathing through one nostril in particular. However I also have enlarged areas of cartilidge inside my nose which press on my septum. Plus a rare condition called patulous eustachian tube, but that's more sinus/ear related.

I have been offered to have the deviated septum corrected via surgery, but I decided to just get the cartilidge taken down instead and another procedure to help my eustachian tubes close better. The septum isn't a problem cosmetically either as my nose is a nice shape and I'm happy with.

Reply 4

GuruDefence

OP

1

NatalieMT

The ENT can atleast hopefully do more tests, such as putting a small flexible camera up your nose to see any problems and perhaps a CT scan to see the bone and sinus structure in your face. It might explain some of the eye pain if that flags up any issues or atleast give a clearer overall view. Then any findings can be more accurately treated. I'm sure there is certainly some help out there for you!

I have a deviated septum too, the only problem I've experienced that is similar to yours is trouble breathing through one nostril in particular. However I also have enlarged areas of cartilidge inside my nose which press on my septum. Plus a rare condition called patulous eustachian tube, but that's more sinus/ear related.

I have been offered to have the deviated septum corrected via surgery, but I decided to just get the cartilidge taken down instead and another procedure to help my eustachian tubes close better. The septum isn't a problem cosmetically either as my nose is a nice shape and I'm happy with.

Interesting.

You mention that you have problems with your eustachian tubes; Do you ever feel anything from the muscles surrounding them? For example, just above where your upper wisdom teeth would come through. Also, do your ears pop quite frequently in comparison to what they normally should?

I assume it is a sinus problem but after numerous nasal sprays, anti-biotics and microscopes shoved in my ears and up my nose, nothing has ever worked/been found. I think this is why I am quite sceptical due to numerous appointments with different doctors and no findings. Hopefully, as you said, the ENT can carry out some more specific tests.

Thanks for your responses.

Reply 5

NatalieMT

16

GuruDefence

You mention that you have problems with your eustachian tubes; Do you ever feel anything from the muscles surrounding them? For example, just above where your upper wisdom teeth would come through. Also, do your ears pop quite frequently in comparison to what they normally should?

The patulous eustachian tube (PET) with me was caused by rapid weight loss, for some reason I lost in particular the fat around my eustachian tube that was keeping it closed properly. The procedure I'm having involves injection fillers to plump it back up again. The main symptoms of PET are perceiving the volume of your voice differently, I speak quietly because I can't tell what volume I sound to others. I feel congested when I speak although I'm not clogged and have no sinus pressure. With me physical activity, which causes more air to be pushed onto the eardrum more frequently, leads to long periods of tinnitus and hearing my heartbeat and pulse loudly, almost as though they echo through by body. I suppose my ears do pop a lot more frequently than with most people, this is accompanied by a feeling or ear fullness. I also get a lot of ear infections because the eustachian tube is constantly open. Might sound familar? It's a pain in the backside to diagnose PET, the ENT I see and his colleague only have 3 other patients with the condition and this is in a big hospital. Apparently they only diagnose a new case every 7-10 years!

Reply 6

sizzahface

I had a deviated septum and had it operated on about 3 years ago.
I did have pain round the sinus area and yes it felt like it was in my eyes too.

I think that it can be hard to specify exactly where the pain is sometimes especially in that area or at least it was for me as it was quite a dull throbbing pain.

I feel better after the surgery by the way. The one nostril that was harder to breathe with is clearer now and I only had to stay in hospital for one night.

Reply 7

Sabrina G

2

I feel like I have an exactly same problem, trying to figure out and go see a few ENT doctors to get different opinion on what time of surgery I need. I've had it for over 3 years, my eye doctor said my eyes are fine, with a slight astigmatism, which i got only 4-5 yrs after i had a light nasal fracture they not nobody told me i had to fix. I was blaming allergies, but my allergy doctor told he've never seen anybody to be so severely effected with allergies. The weird thing is that it is so random, one day i can wake perfectly fine and see everything, the other day it's a completely different story, it's blurry to the point that i can even lose my balance, have an anxiety and i can't even think straight, it's like my cognitive skills are horrible effected by all of this swelling around my eyes. Keep me posted if anybody is familiar with a condition like that.

Reply 8

Jeanmad

1

I have the same problem with my eye

Reply 9

David Soothouse

2

If it stays the same, just wait for your appointment. If it worsens, see your GP again, or do a phone consultation.

Reply 10

NoseyKnows

I’ve been having the same issue after a botched rhinoplasty for years. The surgery was 14 years ago and I started having issues after that which worsened over time. I was left with a badly deviated septum which I could wiggle with my fingers near the tip of my nose and my nose kind if pointed to one side. I started having chronic sinusitis with swelling above and below the eyes and it made my life miserable. When I would sleep the swelling would get worse and I always woke up with horrible fatigue and facial pain. I tried neti-pot saline rinses, added eucalyptus and tea tree oils, tried antibiotics and anti fungals. The essential oils in saline helped alleviate the congestion and some of the swelling but it wasn’t until I had a proper septoplasty and rhinoplasty that my misery improved. I’m 4 weeks post-op and I feel like my life is just beginning as the swelling under my eyes went away 1 week after and above my eyes it is already improving. My eye lids were swollen for so long that I was afraid the skin would stay stretched as they felt a bit heavy as the swelling went down. But that is getting better now. I don’t have the chronic facial pain anymore either. The swelling in the nose takes about 90 days to improve so every week is better than the week before. My surgery to correct the septum was done by a plastic surgeon, Dr. Robert Glasgold in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. The first surgery was don’t by the butcher Dr. Delvecchio in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He should be in jail for what he is doing. I suffered for years because of his incompetence.

Can a deviated septum affect muscles around the eye?

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