Alcoholic Eyes: The Impact Alcohol Has on Your Eyes

Tears that evaporate too quickly can’t meet the eyes’ functional needs. This results in inflammation and irritation, causing symptoms of dry eye. Drinking alcohol can cause dry eyes, and when dry eyes become a persistent problem, you may be living with DED. If you find that you’re experiencing health-related problems from drinking alcohol and are having a hard time cutting back, you are not alone. Quitting alcohol can be incredibly difficult and sometimes dangerous when attempted alone. If only one eye is affected, that could be a sign of a medical issue that requires immediate action.

• Even small changes can help reduce a person’s risk of developing issues with their eyes or other aspects of health.
• It is a common trigger for people who have migraines, and alcohol can also trigger a headache for some people who don’t otherwise have migraines or headaches.
• Some of these problems can cause permanent eyesight damage if they aren’t treated quickly.
• Head trauma (e.g., concussions) or corneal abrasions are other examples of emergency conditions that can cause sudden blurry vision and require medical attention.
• While less common, it is also possible to experience postpartum preeclampsia after the baby is delivered.

What to know about the effects of alcohol on the eyes

Fingernails, tree branches, and makeup brushes are common causes of corneal abrasions. In addition to blurry vision, it might feel like there’s something in your eye. Deciding what to do about blurry vision will vary depending on the cause. Some conditions, such as eye strain or dry eyes, can be treated with simple home measures such as eye drops, rest, or avoiding allergens such as dust.

Alcohol Consumption and Blurred or Double Vision

• Our eyes are meant to naturally switch between dilating to let in more light and constricting to filter out light in order to help us see in different environments.
• The main symptom is blind spots in your vision that gradually get bigger.
• In addition to blurry vision, it might feel like there’s something in your eye.

You may be asked to temporarily stop sports and exercise until you are cleared to return. Most of the time being far or near sighted isn’t at risk due to a particular cause, it just needs to be diagnosed and corrected. It is important to have regular eye exams starting at school age for kids (age 5 or 6) and then every few years as you get older. If you wear glasses or contacts, you need exams every year to make sure your prescription is right and your corrective lenses are working appropriately. Even moderate doses of caffeine can cause your blood sugar to rise or fall, particularly if you have diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic.

What is blurred vision?

Type 1 diabetes was formerly known as juvenile diabetes, and is the version of the disease found in children and young adults. If you experience worsening eye allergies in the mornings, the problem might be dust mites or pet dander in your bedroom. You might also be allergic to detergent used to wash your bedding. Although we typically avoid language like this, specificity is key when reporting on research participants and clinical findings.

The more you drink, the higher your risk is for developing any of these conditions. Your overall visual performance may be altered since drinking heavily impairs brain function. Your vision relies on a few different functions that your brain and eyes carry out, and alcohol impairs more than one of these functions. These are short-term effects that can begin while you are drinking, and can last for several hours afterward. Treatments will vary greatly based on a person’s symptoms or health conditions that develop as a result of alcohol use.

• Type 1 diabetes is thought to be an autoimmune condition that attacks the cells of the pancreas and may be genetic.
• By Maxine LipnerLipner is a New York-based freelance health and medical writer who covers ophthalmology and oncology.
• If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol use, our Pennsylvania rehab center offers resources and support to help you start your journey to recovery.
• Treatments can vary based on how alcohol has affected a person’s eyes and optic nerve.
• Memory problems and difficulty concentrating may also occur.

There are many reasons to stop drinking, and damage to vision—whether short- or long-term—is one of them. A more severe condition linked with heavy drinking is optic neuropathy, which can result in vision loss and an inability to see colors correctly. This happens because alcohol toxins affect the optic nerves directly. It’s a stark illustration of the impact alcohol has on your eyes, potentially leading to permanent damage. Did you know that alcohol affects not only your liver and brain but also your eyes?

Free Eye Exercises

These refer to problems in the way the light is focused on your retina. There’s a problem with your retina, the structure at the back of your eye that senses light. The main symptom is blind spots in your vision that gradually get bigger.

Examples of eye symptoms to check with a doctor

Over time, excessive alcohol use can cause lasting damage to the eye that may promote conditions of vision loss and unusual eye movement. Fortunately, most short-term signs of alcoholic eyes and eye pain after drinking should improve as the body rebounds from alcohol exposure. Eye infections can cause several symptoms, including blurry vision. If you blurry vision hangover believe an infection is causing your blurry vision, seek medical care so that you can begin treatment. When this happens, your optic nerve doesn’t get enough blood. That can happen due to blocked vessels or insufficient pressure within them.

You may notice blurred vision right after surgery, too. Stress causes all sorts of physical and mental symptoms, and temporary blurred vision can be one of them. It’s one of many possible complications of diabetes and is the most common reason working-age people in the United States go blind. With aging, the lens of your eye loses accommodating power (this is termed presbyopia). Presbyopia is not considered to be a refraction error, though it causes symptoms similar to those of farsightedness — the ability to focus on near objects is lost.