Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it makes you pee more than if you were drinking water. Staying hydrated is essential for overall health, but it can also help reduce the risk of red eyes when drinking alcohol. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), bloodshot eyes are a warning sign that your child may be drinking alcohol. Undoing the effects of dehydration will also correct the problem of dry eye, which occurs when there aren’t enough tears to hydrate the eyeball. Dry eye typically causes irritation and blurred vision and can increase the risk of infections.
Aside from the obvious symptom of having the whites of the eye look red, bloodshot eyes may also feel itchy, burning, and painful and may cause the eyelids to swell. Normally this isn’t anything to worry about unless the redness does not go away. If someone is suspected to have nystagmus, they will likely undergo a CT scan or an MRI to get a scan of the brain. Often these rapid eye movements are due to neurological problems in the brain. Rapid eye movements or involuntary eye movements are often called nystagmus and can affect one or both eyes.
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The condition here is uncomfortable and occurs with the slightest excessiveness in consumption. But why exactly is alcohol consumption a threat to your vision? Well, alcohol slows down the communication between neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are necessary for the brain to communicate with the rest of the body and vice versa.
But while these effects are temporary, even a small amount of alcohol can cause the uncomfortable effects of eye dryness. You may think that a wild lifestyle that includes excessive drinking only affects the brain and liver, but blurry vision after drinking alcohol it affects every part of the body for the worse. Next time you go out drinking or have a get-together, set a limit for yourself so as to not go overboard. The disease, after long-term substance abuse, will result in vision loss.
See your eye doctor
Even after you stop drinking, you may still be under the effects of dehydration, and DED changes from regular alcohol use don’t typically go away the moment you stop drinking. In general, women are already more likely to develop dry eye than men due to natural hormone fluctuations. There is no direct correlation between alcohol and eye floaters. 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. No reliable sourcing indicates how many people experience vision issues due to alcohol.
- Long-term excessive drinking can permanently damage your eyesight and can even lead to blindness in some cases.
- Alcohol can cause dilated pupils, but at a different rate than other drugs.
- In extreme cases, long-term alcohol abuse can cause vision loss or even blindness.
- Cataracts are relatively more common in heavy drinkers than in moderate or non-drinkers.
- Even small amounts of alcohol can cause dry eyes, which leads to pain.
Partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs are also available. Tyler Sorensen is the President and CEO of Rebuild Your Vision. Formerly, Tyler studied Aeronautics (just like his brother) with the dream of becoming an airline pilot, however, after 9/11 his career path changed. After graduating top of his class with a Bachelor of Science in Informational Technologies and Administrative Management, he joined Rebuild Your Vision in 2002.
Your Eyes on Alcohol
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. Like double vision, if the bloodshot eyes do not revert back to normal after a night of drinking, then it could be more serious and require medical attention.
This narrowing of your field of vision, more commonly known as tunnel vision, is just one of the reasons why driving under the influence of alcohol is so dangerous. Migraine headachesMigraines are severe and debilitating headaches characterized by nausea, dizziness, sensitivity to light, distorted vision, and seeing halos or flashes of light. Recent research has demonstrated alcohol, even in small quantities, has the potential to trigger migraines severe enough to disrupt vision. Interestingly, while alcohol has been shown to trigger migraines, doctors have not yet been able to determine exactly why this happens.
It’s no secret that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to a number of health risks, including liver damage, anemia, cardiovascular disease, and depression. Not many would think that too much alcohol could cause permanent vision damage. Drinking can cause short- and long-term challenges with eye health and vision, including a condition known as dry eye disease (DED).
