Also referred to as tobacco-alcohol amblyopia, people who drink or smoke in excess can develop optic neuropathy, though it is rare. While it may not be entirely possible to completely prevent blurry vision from a hangover, there are certain steps you can take to minimize its occurrence. The duration of blurry vision caused by a hangover can vary from person to person.
Women’s vision: Understanding risks and ways to protect it
So, if you go from a dark room to a light room or vice versa, you’d have a lot of trouble adjusting to the new lighting. Double vision is not dangerous unless you’re behind blurry vision hangover the wheel. In fact, we experience rapid eye movements at night during our REM cycle of sleep. Rapid eye movements while awake, however, are a rare and unusual occurrence.
Severe Hangover Symptoms
Drinking can also affect your mood if you already have a mental health condition or use alcohol as a coping mechanism for your mental health. But after a few drinks, your heart starts pumping faster, and the blood vessels can’t expand enough to accommodate all the blood. Blood vessel dilation has also been linked to migraines. And the more you drink the night before, the more severe your hangover symptoms might feel the morning after. Dr. Ivan Yong is an optometrist with over a decade of experience in the optical industry. He earned his doctorate from the Southern California College of Optometry and has practiced in multiple settings, including private practice, community health, and ophthalmology.
Practice good headache hygiene by maintaining regular eating and sleeping patterns and easing stress.
- In this article, we’ll explore the science behind why you may have blurry vision when you’re nursing a hangover.
- You may build a tolerance to alcohol if you drink enough consistently.
- When this happens, you may have blurred vision or double vision due to weakened eye-muscle coordination.
- An Optometry and Vision Science study found that moderate drinking may have a protective effect against cataracts.
- These muscles are responsible for ensuring that both eyes work together to create clear and focused vision.
That can happen due to blocked vessels or insufficient pressure within them. This condition is also called anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, and it can cause sudden loss of vision. If you’re pregnant, you shouldn’t take blurry vision lightly. It could be a sign of preeclampsia, a dangerous condition marked by very high blood pressure and protein in your urine. Preeclampsia occurs in women who never have had high blood pressure before. It can have serious, life-threatening effects on you and your baby.
Sensitivity to Light
Alcohol consumption can cause blood vessels to expand, including those in the eyes. This can lead to red, bloodshot eyes and contribute to blurry vision. Changes in blood flow can also affect the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the eyes, further compromising their function and causing blurry vision. The symptoms of visual migraine can be similar to those of a stroke or serious eye emergency, such as retinal detachment.
- Drinking too much too quickly can affect breathing, heart rate, body temperature and gag reflex.
- Without treatment, they can lead to serious, sometimes life-threatening problems for both mothers and their unborn babies.
- Your provider may prescribe medications to treat the condition that’s causing your blurry vision.
- Applying lubricating eye drops can also provide temporary relief and make your vision less blurry.
- This could be a sign of a stroke, brain tumor, detached retina, or other problem that requires immediate action.
Empowering Australians to make better health choices
- If someone is experiencing visual migraine episodes that occur several times per month, they should speak with a doctor.
- If a refractive error is the problem, a pair of prescription glasses or contacts should get rid of your blurry vision.
- Alcohol tends to affect the speed at which your iris constricts and dilates.
- That causes a condition called optic neuritis, which can cause blurry sight, loss of color vision, and pain when you move your eyes.
Retinal migraine is rare, but people as young as 7 years old could experience it. Researchers suggest that retinal migraine may run in families and be more likely https://ecosoberhouse.com/ to occur in people who experience migraine headaches. When a person experiences retinal migraine, they may notice light flashing in front of one of their eyes.
A person should contact a doctor promptly if they develop severe vision changes so that they can get an accurate diagnosis. Although retinal migraine has similar symptoms to migraine with aura, the symptoms may not last as long and tend to only occur in one eye. Typically, the symptoms last for 5–20 minutes, with a person experiencing them a few times per day. With high blood sugar, water is pulled into the lens, which swells and blurs vision. High sugar levels can weaken blood vessels and damage the retina.
Alcohol and optic neuropathy
