Cutting back on your alcohol intake is a good way to start being healthier and protect your eyesight. Here are some tips in to minimize your alcohol consumption and help prevent eyesight problems. Some studies have found an association between heavy alcohol consumption and the development of age-related cataracts.
Alcohol & Dry Eyes: How Drinking Affects Your Eyes
Most alcohol-related eye and visual damages resolve with cessation of drinking. Dry eye disease occurs when the eyes don’t produce enough tears or when the quality of tears is compromised. Tears are essential for maintaining eye comfort and health, as they help to lubricate the eyes, wash away debris, blurry vision after drinking alcohol and prevent infections. Alcohol is common at social gatherings, casual nights out, or for a celebratory toast for many people. However, it is worth considering the impact of drinking on your body, particularly your eyes. Alcohol tends to affect the speed at which your iris constricts and dilates.
Decreased Peripheral Vision
Visual hallucinations are another symptom that can occur during alcohol withdrawal. These hallucinations can be very distressing and may involve seeing non-existent patterns, objects, or lights. Alcohol has been shown to be a trigger for severe migraine headaches in some people. 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. Your overall responses can slow down while you are under the influence of alcohol.
How Does Alcohol Cause Blurred Vision?
Short-term or immediate vision effects of drinking too much can impair your peripheral vision, resulting in tunnel vision. This makes it harder for your pupils to react, so they can’t constrict or dilate properly. Even common tasks, such as driving at night, can become a challenge with the direct impact of headlights decreasing reaction times. But long-term alcoholism can cause nutritional deficiencies (such as B12 and folate deficiency) and gut absorption issues. Both of these can lead to the development of nutritional optic neuropathy over time.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that excessive drinking can lead to changes in the brain, heart, liver, pancreas, immune system, and even contribute to cancer. Years of alcohol consumption impairs many of the body’s functions resulting in organ failure. Thus, is it so important to limit or even cut out alcohol if necessary. The use of information on this website or materials linked from this website is at the user’s own risk. The content of this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Early detection and treatment are crucial in preventing vision loss and complications. Alcohol is a nervous system depressant that affects the functioning of organs, including the eyes. When consuming alcohol in moderation, the body can metabolize it and excrete it through the liver and kidneys.
Decreased Visual Performance
- Prenatal alcohol exposure happens when a woman consumes alcohol while pregnant.
- Well, alcohol slows down the communication between neurotransmitters in the brain.
- According to Medical Daily, drinking in moderation should not cause any long-term problems to eyesight.
- Tears that evaporate too quickly can’t meet the eyes’ functional needs.