Getting closer to the end of Dry January, you will start to benefit from a healthier liver, as it sheds excess fat, and full function is restored following your abstinence. Your liver health is reflected through the condition of your eyes, with the adage of your eyes being the window to your soul actually being true. Alcohol consumption can also be a slippery slope between just a drink or two, and a dependency. If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol addiction please reach out to one of your doctors. As mentioned before, drinking debilitates the central nervous system. When this occurs, the eyes’ muscles do not move as they should.
- Light to moderate alcohol consumption should not have a lasting impact on your vision.
- Treatments will vary greatly based on a person’s symptoms or health conditions that develop as a result of alcohol use.
- Unfortunately, the studies and surveys referenced in this article didn’t report data on, or include, participants who were transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, genderqueer, agender, or genderless.
- Decreasing the reaction time for the pupils to dilate, alcohol can impair the ability to see different color shades or adjust to lighting differences.
- Alcohol tends to affect the speed at which your iris constricts and dilates.
- Constant jumping around can also cause eye strain and headaches.
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Diabetic retinopathy
Toxic amblyopia was very common before World War II due to excessive drinking and tobacco use. Now the disease has become rarer and is often only seen in people suffering from alcoholism. Sure, we know that drinking affects our https://ecosoberhouse.com/ vision and can cause blurred or double vision, especially at night. This is sometimes known as “beer goggles.” After all, impaired vision and a slowed reaction time are why drinking and driving are often a fatal combination.
How may alcohol affect the eyes?
Blurry vision can also be a symptom of glaucoma, a disease in which pressure in your eye damages the optic nerve. Drinking alcohol increases blood sugar levels which can lead to blurred vision, as it causes the eye lens swells, reducing your ability to see. After 24 hours of no alcohol, your blood sugar levels will normalise, and any vision impairment will return to normal, banishing beer goggles. Last year alone, Dry January saw 1 in 6 Brits attempt to ditch the drink to help combat the effects of an over-indulgent festive period. Although it’s no secret that drinking to excess puts the body under strain and can lead to serious health implications, many are unaware their eyes could be at risk. The use of information on this website or materials linked from this website is at the user’s own risk.
Focus on Eyes: Did you know excessive drinking can cause damage to the eye? Well, it can.
Drinking alcohol excessively (frequently or in large amounts) can have harmful effects on your body, including your eyes. Heavy alcohol use may cause problems with your vision and overall eye health. Some temporary effects occur when you drink, and other effects take time to develop and can be permanent. This article describes the potential effects of alcohol on your eyes. For example, after just 24 hours of no alcohol, your blood sugar levels will normalise and blurred vision caused by alcohol intake will disappear.
ALCOHOL INTOXICATION
The content of this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Inclusion of an optometrist on the doctor locator does not imply MyDryEye referral, endorsement or recommendation, nor does the omission of any individual optometrist indicate MyDryEye disapproval. The optometrists listed on the website are expected to uphold the current regulatory and professional standards for the practice of optometry in their respective provinces. MyDryEye shall not be liable to you or others for any decision made or action taken by you in reliance on the information obtained from this website.
- The content of this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
- Drinking large amounts of alcohol may temporarily but significantly increase the size of your pupils, though effects can vary from person to person.
- Without enough of it, your tear production decreases, and the quality of your tears goes down.
- For those who have a diagnosis of diabetes, blurry vision can indicate your blood sugars are too high or not in target range.
- Aside from the obvious symptom of having the whites of the eye look red, bloodshot eyes may also feel itchy, burning, and painful and may cause the eyelids to swell.
Diabetic Retinopathy
On the other hand, chronic alcohol consumption will negatively affect the entire body. For example, if you notice the whites of the eyes are turning yellow, this is actually not an eye condition. Rather, this is a liver issue called jaundice which may indicate alcoholic hepatitis or inflammation of the liver. A person may reduce their risk of developing vision issues due to alcohol by limiting their alcohol consumption. Even small changes can help reduce a person’s risk of developing issues with their eyes or other aspects of health. A doctor can provide more details about what a person can do to address their vision issues.
What Doctors are Saying
The vitamin is essential for proper eye health, playing an important role in the quality and quantity of tear production. Without enough of it, your tear production decreases, and the quality of your tears goes down. Alcohol promotes dehydration, which increases the salt level in blood and tears. The higher the blurry vision hangover concentration of salt in your tears, the faster they’ll evaporate when you blink and distribute them across the surface of your eye. This tear film, which spreads each time you blink, should stay on the eye long enough to support clear vision, provide protection, and keep the eye lubricated for the eyelids.
Maintain Your Ocular & Overall Health
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. You might also have blurry vision if you’re developing cataracts. People with diabetes tend to develop cataracts at a younger age than other people. Undoing the effects of dehydration will also correct the problem of dry eye, which occurs when there aren’t enough tears to hydrate the eyeball. Dry eye typically causes irritation and blurred vision and can increase the risk of infections.
Want Help is Available for Alcohol Addiction?
But for metronidazole or tinidazole, Dr. Clayton recommends waiting at least 72 hours after your last dose before consuming any alcohol. Moderate alcohol consumption doesn’t usually reduce antibiotic effectiveness or cause serious interactions (although, there are a few exceptions). But alcohol can reduce your energy and delay recovery, so it’s best to avoid alcohol while on antibiotics. Just a few days of antibiotics can wipe out uncomfortable or painful illnesses or infections.
