On the other hand, if you drink heavily or often, you are at a much higher risk for short-term changes in your vision as well as permanent damage. You are much more likely to experience blurry vision after drinking alcohol the more you drink. This is why stopping once you have reached your limit is so important. The potential long-term issues relate to changes to the eyes’ structures or the communication between the eyes and brain. These effects may be more permanent and can include reduced vision, migraine headaches, sensitivity to light, and even blindness. A person may reduce their risk of developing vision issues due to alcohol by limiting their alcohol consumption.
When should you speak with a doctor?
Sometimes there’s a pattern to the movements, but it can also be totally random. Excessive drinking doesn’t affect the eyes directly, but it does affect the brain. Naturally, as the brain and eyes are so closely linked, our vision suffers because of it. The optic nerve is a conglomeration of input from the photoreceptor cells of the eye (the cells responsible for detecting light) to the brain. Therefore, if the optic nerve dies, it can no longer transmit information from the eye to the brain, and we lose our vision permanently.
Blurry or distorted vision
However, if long-term damage has occurred, such as optic neuropathy, further medical intervention might be necessary. This is because alcohol affects how your brain processes information. Alcohol use can relax your eye muscles, making it harder for the lens in your eye to focus automatically and cause temporary vision impairment.
You may also experience red eyes after drinking, or they may physically hurt. This is because too much alcohol causes the blood vessels in your eyes to grow, making your eyes appear red and bloodshot and sometimes feel painful. Drinking too much can also alter your peripheral vision, causing you to have tunnel vision. Your pupils will also react more slowly, so they will not be able to constrict or open up as well.
- Also referred to as tobacco-alcohol amblyopia, people who drink or smoke in excess can develop optic neuropathy, though it is rare.
- Both short-term and long-term use of alcohol affects the optic nerve and the relationship between the brain and the eye.
- But if you are a heavy drinker—which means consuming alcohol more than a few times per week or binge drinking—you will likely experience health issues as a result.
- After graduating top of his class with a Bachelor of Science in Informational Technologies and Administrative Management, he joined Rebuild Your Vision in 2002.
- Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol over time can lead to temporary or permanent vision loss.
Heavy drinking can lead to blurred or double vision, as alcohol interferes with the brain’s ability to process visual cues. Chronic alcohol abuse may also contribute to serious eye conditions, such as Age-related macular degeneration and Dry eye syndrome. If you notice glassy eyes after heavy drinking, it’s essential to seek medical care. Glassy eyes can indicate severe dehydration, high blood pressure, or the onset of eye diseases.
Puffiness, dark circles and dry skin around the eyes
If you’ve ever had one too many, you can probably confirm that alcohol impacts vision in the short term. Keep reading to learn more about the correlation between alcohol use and vision issues. The effects may be short term, such as blurred or double vision, or they may be long term and potentially permanent. If you experience any vision changes or eye problems after drinking alcohol, get immediate medical attention from an eye doctor.
Rapid Eye Movements
This enables us to rule out any potential reasons that you might not be a suitable candidate for refractive surgery. You might be wise in limiting your consumption of alcohol to special occasions, dinners, and celebrations. In the case of damage to the eye from alcohol abuse, it is best to be wise in preventing it. Formerly, Tyler studied Aeronautics (just like his brother) with the dream of becoming an airline pilot, however, after 9/11 his career path changed.
An eye test alone cannot directly diagnose liver disease but may reveal signs that suggest underlying systemic issues, including liver dysfunction. For instance, yellowing of the sclera (the white part of the eye) can indicate jaundice, a common symptom of liver problems. Optic nerve swelling or certain retinal changes might also point to systemic conditions, including liver disease, but further medical tests are necessary for an accurate diagnosis. That is because it can disrupt the body’s normal fluid balance and interfere with quality sleep.
- Twitching is usually a mild condition, involving involuntary spasms or contractions of the muscles around the eye.
- There is no treatment available for the disease, only methods of coping with your new vision.
- These eye muscles are controlled by nerve impulses from three cranial nerves (III, IV and VI) that connect the brainstem to the eyes.
- Alcohol tends to affect the speed at which your iris constricts and dilates.
- Drinking too much can also alter your peripheral vision, causing you to have tunnel vision.
- Alcohol consumption can lead to more than blurry vision and bloodshot eyes.
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 why does alcohol cause double vision control and vision problems become apparent. However, these changes will go away once the alcohol has cleared the system.
On the other hand, some people may experience a sort of paralysis of the eyes, due to a lack of necessary vitamins brought on by excessive drinking. Additionally, repeated episodes of heavy drinking can lead to some very serious eye conditions. As you may already be aware, drinking alcohol is very hard on the liver. What most people don’t know, though, is that the liver and the eyes are closely related. In fact, everything is related in the body, which is why paying attention to your holistic health is so important. It impairs the eyes’ ability to adapt to low-light conditions by slowing down the response of the pupils and reducing contrast sensitivity.
This can make driving very difficult since you can’t react well to headlights. It will be difficult to distinguish between different shades of similar colors if your eyes have been damaged by alcohol. These unfortunate impairments in vision can also point toward much more severe problems. Simply based on the way information is located within the optic nerve, peripheral vision loss tends to be affected first.
When you drink too much over the course of many years, you are at risk of developing permanently blurred vision or even double vision. This is because alcohol weakens your eye muscles over a period of time. Beyond just being annoying, this effect is also dangerous – it can also decrease your reaction time. Excessive drinking can take a significant toll on your eye health, leading to symptoms such as glassy eyes. Chronic alcohol abuse affects more than just your liver; it can also cause serious damage to your vision.
Free Eye Exercises
Excessive alcohol consumption can negatively affect the eyes, leading to rapid eye movement, double vision, and potential blindness. Also referred to as tobacco-alcohol amblyopia, people who drink or smoke in excess can develop optic neuropathy, though it is rare. Studies have shown that vision loss can be a result of a nutritional deficiency, and some professionals believe that the condition develops because of the toxic effects of alcohol and tobacco. Seeing an optometrist or ophthalmologist allows full evaluation of the eyes and nerves controlling eye muscles. Be sure to inform the doctor of any double vision episodes related to alcohol. Prompt treatment of serious underlying issues can prevent permanent vision damage.
A damaged optic nerve can lead to low vision and sometimes blindness. There’s a reason the phrase “drinking yourself blind” floats around. Optic nerve damage is very closely linked to neurological damage sustained by the brain when partaking in heavy drinking. Because the optic nerve is made up of neurological transmitters, it can become damaged by alcohol, just like in the brain. The good news is that there will be a difference in your eyes before and after quitting alcohol – even just a month will allow your liver to heal quite a bit if it isn’t too damaged already.
Alcohol suppresses the signals to these nerves, causing the eye muscles to become uncoordinated. The eyes may start to drift or turn inward instead of working in unison, leading to double or crossed vision. Instead, eye floaters are usually a common and harmless condition resulting from changes in the vitreous, a gel-like substance that fills the back of the eye. Alcohol-related blackouts can be dangerous and increase a person’s risk of injury and other harms. During an alcohol-related blackout, a person is conscious, but later they realize that they don’t remember what happened while they were intoxicated.
