How Alcohol Affects Your Eyes

Heavy alcohol consumption could produce free radicals in the liver. Transmission of the products to the lens may lead to aggregation of lens proteins, leading to cataract formation. Acute alcohol exposure increases intracellular lens calcium levels through inhibition of the calcium pumps on lens fibers. This disturbance in calcium homeostasis may lead to cataract formation. Damage to areas of the eye like the retina or cornea can result in cloudy vision or blurred vision.

• Visual disturbance secondary to alcohol intoxication may manifest by impaired color perception, decreased contrast sensitivity, or abnormal eye movements.
• Excessive alcohol use for a prolonged period can result in various eye-related conditions.
• While regular heavy drinking can cause permanent damage in the long run, even occasional drinking affects the vision, albeit temporarily.
• The doctor can help diagnose an underlying condition and provide appropriate treatment.
• Make sure to choose eye drops that are specifically designed for dry eyes or eye irritations.
• Rapid eye movement is another side effect that can occur in those who consume too much alcohol over a long period of time.
• In addition to the immediate effects felt after consuming one drink, drinking alcohol in large quantities, frequently or binge drinking can lead to long-term complications on your health.

Ocular findings may be related to reduction of Gamma-aminobutyric acid activity, which is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. GABA has been found in different parts of the visual pathway, from retinal ganglion and bipolar cells to the lateral geniculate nucleus, superior colliculus, and the visual cortex. Visual disturbance secondary to alcohol intoxication may manifest by impaired color perception, decreased contrast sensitivity, or abnormal eye movements. Impairment of cognitive processing in CNS may cause subclinical alterations in the eye movements. These alterations may include a high latency for fixation, increased duration of fixations, and increased frequency of saccades.

Women’s vision: Understanding risks and ways to protect it

Now the disease has become rarer and is often only seen in people suffering from alcoholism. It can lead to eye pain, eye floaters, loss of vision in one or both eyes, and loss of color perception. It doesn’t happen often, but when alcohol is involved, you’re at a higher risk. Anyway, my story is that lately, my eyes have been tearing up excessively after consuming alcohol. Also, my vision would be blurry to the point where I can’t even read my text messages on my phone. Although somewhat debated, some believe that drinking reduces some of the antioxidants in your system – and these antioxidants are the ones that protect against eye diseases specifically.

• A damaged optic nerve can lead to low vision and sometimes blindness.
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• In 2016, an estimated 3 million people died globally from harmful use of alcohol, according to theWorld Health Organisation’s global status report on alcohol and health.

Malnutrition also compromises your immune system, making you vulnerable to eye infections that can damage the muscles and tissues in the eye. Besides the physical impact on the body and the body’s functions, malnutrition also causes nutritional degeneration of the nervous system. blurry vision after drinking alcohol Without the proper vitamins and minerals, important nerves in the body, like the optic nerve, start to degenerate, reducing their ability to function properly. Everyone has a different tolerance for alcohol; you may be different from someone else who drinks the same amount.

How drinking can affect your eyes in the short and long term

But any effects you feel while drinking will most likely go away, especially if you are not a heavy drinker. This is especially true if you take care of your body after drinking alcohol. You can do that by making sure you rehydrate well after a night out.