You may also experience inflammation of the eye and double vision that causes burning and itching of the eyes, migraines, and extreme light sensitivity. In the short-term, overconsumption of alcohol can result in blurry or double vision. It can cut down on your peripheral vision as well, resulting in tunnel vision. As doctors continue to study exactly how alcohol affects vision and eye health, one thing their research has demonstrated is eye health is directly affected by the amount of alcohol you consume. In other words, while an occasional glass of wine won’t cause significant long-term damage to your health, regularly drinking too much alcohol will. Blurry vision is often one of the earliest symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS).
This results in inflammation and irritation, causing symptoms of dry eye. DED — also known as dry eye, dry eye syndrome, or keratoconjunctivitis sicca — is a chronic condition where your eyes either stop making enough tears or produce low quality tears. For example, many people have occult eye muscle imbalances, but the sober brain can preserve crisp, single vision. Once the person has consumed a little alcohol, the brain relaxes that control and vision problems become apparent. However, these changes will go away once the alcohol has cleared the system.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
No matter what’s causing it, blurry vision can make work harder and make it difficult to enjoy things like reading, driving or watching television. Make sure you get regular eye exams and report any changes in how well you see, including blurriness. Remember that experiencing sudden blurred vision is an emergency, and you should get medical help right away.
If you think you or someone you know may have a problem with alcohol, the NCADD (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependance, Inc.) and Alcoholics Anonymous have many resources to help. Read on to learn about the different effects of alcohol on the eye. Your dry eye symptoms may persist if you stop drinking or experience alcohol withdrawal. Drinking alcohol when you’re already experiencing dry eye for other reasons can add the effects of alcohol to your existing symptoms.
Alcohol and optic neuropathy
Take the first step toward addiction treatment by contacting us today. Without proper tear function, your eyes become dry, and you’re less likely to blink away debris or clear out bacteria and viruses that may lead to infection. Alcohol can cause both short- and long-term vision problems. Law enforcement officers assess several alcohol-induced changes to the eyes when performing a field sobriety test on a suspected impaired driver.
- Over time, repeated abuse of alcohol can lead to permanent damage to the brain and neurotransmitters that are specifically related to vision.
- This formulation is new and FDA-approved for treating age-related blurry vision.
- Blindness caused by alcohol isn’t common, but it’s possible.
- It can cut down on your peripheral vision as well, resulting in tunnel vision.
- It can also affect your current and future eye health and vision.
Another common effect of alcohol on your eyes is getting bloodshot eyes from drinking too much. Alcohol causes the blood vessels in your eyes to get larger and fill with blood, which creates a red, bloodshot appearance. Your eyes might also get dry and irritated blurry vision after drinking alcohol when you drink because alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it makes you need to urinate more frequently. And when you urinate frequently, your body (including your eyes) becomes dehydrated. This causes many people to experience eye pain after drinking.
What is blurred vision?
To solve these problems, you’ll need to work with your doctor to treat your migraines and keep them from starting. You can receive 24/7 text support right away and at your convenience. There is no obligation to enter treatment and you can opt out at any time. Although we typically avoid language like this, specificity is key when reporting on research participants and clinical findings. According to a 2016 meta-analysis, alcohol can contribute to DED through multiple mechanisms and is a significant risk factor for it. This article will use the terms “male,” “female,” or both to refer to sex assigned at birth.
These correlations may contribute to several possible complications or effects on the eyes. Your overall responses can slow down while you are under the influence of alcohol. This means that it can take a little longer than usual for your brain to recognize what you are seeing, and it can take longer than usual for you to decide what to do about it. The moderating effect of stimulus attractiveness on the effect of alcohol consumption on attractiveness ratings. Red wine is one of the most commonly reported migraine triggers, but researchers have yet to understand exactly what it is about red wine that causes headaches. The following explains how your body reacts and recovers from an alcohol-filled festive season.
Care and Treatment
One study found that having a 0.08% blood alcohol level (the legal limit for driving in most states) can affect various types of eye movements in healthy young adults. The presence of a specific type of nystagmus (rhythmic involuntary eye movements) can actually help police decide whether to arrest a driver for drinking and driving. Blurred vision typically occurs at 0.10% blood alcohol level. The number of drinks it takes to get to that level varies based on sex, weight and other factors.