Aside from alcohol’s effects on vision and eyes, it has been long known that excessive alcohol can have lasting detrimental effects on the body as a whole. Alcoholic eyes is a colloquial name for the effects of long-term alcohol use on the eyes. When you think of a person who abuses alcohol, you might imagine their eyes to be bloodshot or even have a yellow tint. What you may not know is that drinking alcohol can have much more serious, long-lasting consequences on your eyesight—including permanent blindness.
These migraines can be accompanied by sensitivity to light and other related vision problems. Likewise, too much alcohol causes the blood vessels in your eyes to grow, making your eyes appear red and bloodshot. We all know alcohol can affect our bodies negatively, and these effects can be both short- and long-term. We are told to never drink and drive when we are in grade school. We’ve also seen the havoc too much alcohol can wreak on our liver later in life, if we aren’t careful. Just like anything else you put in your body, it can affect how well you see now and later in life.
Short-term effects of alcohol on the eyes and sight
Often, treatment for these conditions will clear up your blurred vision. Remember, though, that sudden changes to your eyesight aren’t normal, so if they happen, see your doctor right away. Due to conflicting evidence on the role alcohol may play in chronic vision conditions, more research is necessary to clarify the long-term effects of heavy alcohol use on the eyes. If you already live with a dry eye diagnosis, drinking alcohol may make your symptoms worse. Long-term excessive drinking can lead to potential health issues, including problems with vision. Alcohol may also affect your eyesight in the long term, going beyond temporary symptoms to influencing your likelihood to develop serious eye conditions.
- The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines drinking in moderation as limiting intake to two drinks or less per day for males and one drink or less per day for females.
- After going out for drinks with your friends, make sure to drink plenty of water to keep you hydrated.
- Heavy alcohol use may cause problems with your vision and overall eye health.
- When people drink alcohol, their pupils dilate slower than they usually do, which can cause blurred vision or tunnel vision.
Methanol is used in some hand sanitizers instead of ethyl alcohol. In some cases, methanol poisoning can occur as a result of drinking homemade alcohol or moonshine. Retinal-image quality and night-vision performance after alcohol consumption. They may also be able to point you to resources to help you cut back or quit drinking to help you improve the health of your eyes and your overall well-being.
Eye Muscle Control
Your provider may prescribe medications to treat the condition that’s causing your blurry vision. The medications will vary depending on your underlying disease. You should get medical help immediately if your vision gets blurry quickly and/or if you have sudden vision loss. The condition can reduce your vision even to the point of blindness. Blurred vision is the most common symptom related to sight that people report to their healthcare providers.
This is especially true if you’ve been injured or if you have any other symptoms of stroke, such as difficulty speaking or moving. As your sight seems less sharp, you may strain your eyes because they have to work harder to focus. Early treatment is the best way to ward off permanent damage.
Is it normal to have blurry vision after a night of drinking?
Aside from the side effects listed above, there are many other ways that excessive alcohol affects the eyes. Optic neuritis refers to inflammation blurry vision after drinking alcohol (swelling) and irritation of the optic nerve. It can happen on its own or as a result of another condition, including multiple sclerosis.
- You may also experience inflammation of the eye and double vision that causes burning and itching of the eyes, migraines, and extreme light sensitivity.
- You should get medical help immediately if your vision gets blurry quickly and/or if you have sudden vision loss.
- Tyler Sorensen is the President and CEO of Rebuild Your Vision.
- In addition to weakening the muscles and damaging the optic nerve, frequent alcohol use contributes to inflammation within the bundle of nerves that make up the optic nerve.