Why migraine and dry eye cause eye pain and light sensitivity
Mechanisms of Pain and Photophobia in Migraine and Dry Eye
This project looks for nerve and immune changes that make people with migraine, dry eye, or after refractive eye surgery feel eye pain and sensitivity to light.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11170416 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers will study the nerves and immune cells that link the eye and nearby tissues to understand why touch and light become painful. They will use well-established rodent models of migraine, dry eye disease, and refractive surgery to map neural circuits and measure nerve activity and behavior. The team will look at molecular players already tied to light sensitivity and pain (including CGRP, TRPM3, and melanopsin) and test whether changing these signals alters pain-like responses. Findings are meant to reveal shared mechanisms across conditions that cause photophobia and persistent ocular pain.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with chronic migraine that includes eye pain or photophobia, patients with persistent dry eye symptoms, and those with ongoing pain or light sensitivity after refractive eye surgery would be the most relevant groups.
Not a fit: People whose eye pain comes from unrelated causes like active infection, acute glaucoma, or purely psychiatric pain syndromes may not benefit from findings focused on trigeminal-mediated photophobia.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new non-opioid treatment targets that reduce eye pain and light sensitivity for people with migraine, dry eye, or post-surgical pain.
How similar studies have performed: Some related work (for example CGRP-blocking therapies) has improved migraine pain, but linking trigeminal circuits, immune interactions, and light-sensing cells for ocular photophobia is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
Portland, United States
- Oregon Health & Science University — Portland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Aicher, Sue a — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Aicher, Sue a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.