In fact, dry eyes is a common complaint among drinkers, and chronic alcohol abuse can lead to the development of dry eye syndrome. And if I haven’t put you off drinking at this stage, sit tight, because the list of potential long-term effects on the eye is no less disturbing.

• She’s very attentive, friendly, and such a breathe of fresh air.
• When you think of damage from alcohol, perhaps eyesight isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
• Long-term or excessive alcohol use increases the risk of eye damage and disease.
• But what about the long-term effects of drinking alcohol on the eye?
• Amanda Marinelli is a Board Certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC) with over 10 years of experience in the field of mental health and substance abuse.

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. Here, we’ll take a look at the links between alcohol and eyesight, examining whether drinking alcohol can actually lead to long-term damage. AMD is a condition that results in permanent vision loss over time. Chronic alcohol abuse is thought to be a contributing factor to developing this condition. Astudy in Australiarevealed that drinking more than 20g of alcohol a day results in a 20% increased chance of developing early AMD compared to those who consume no alcohol.

Alcohol and Your Eyes

Your vision relies on a few different functions that your brain and eyes carry out, and alcohol impairs more than one of these functions. These are short-term effects that can begin while you are drinking, and can last for several hours afterward. Casual drinking likely does not cause toxic optic neuropathy. But long-term alcoholism can cause nutritional deficiencies and gut absorption issues. Both of these can lead to the development of nutritional optic neuropathy over time. Chronic alcoholism can lead to liver damage and eventually alcohol-related liver disease . One of the most noticeable signs of ALD is jaundice, which is a yellowing of the eyes and skin.

• Even if you have an episode where you feel dizzy and your vision feels different from usual, these symptoms will probably resolve themselves as the effects of the alcohol wear off.
• We are honest with our approach and offer the very best evidence-based treatment with your best interests always at heart.
• You can do that by making sure you rehydrate well after a night out.
• Short-term or immediate vision effects of drinking too much can impair your peripheral vision, resulting in tunnel vision.
• It may contribute to nitric oxide-related abnormalities of autoregulation of the choroidal blood vessels.

One of the scariest possible consequences of alcohol on the eyes is permanent blindness or vision loss. Researchers think that people who drink heavy amounts of alcohol over a long period of time have an increased risk for diseases like age-related macular degeneration and optic neuropathy.

Long-term effects of alcohol on your vision

But rest assured that our team is here to help you to get back on your feet so that you can clearly see the bright future that lies ahead. Damage to areas of the eye like the retina or cornea can result in cloudy vision or blurred vision.

Another common effect of alcohol on your eyes is getting bloodshot eyes from drinking too much. Alcohol causes the blood vessels in your eyes to get larger and fill with blood, which creates a red, bloodshot appearance. Your eyes might also get dry and irritated when you drink because alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it makes you need to urinate more frequently. And when you urinate frequently, your body becomes dehydrated. This causes many people to experience eye pain after drinking.

Bigger pupils and heavy drinking

Moreover, in a report of alcoholic liver disease and bilateral multifocal CSCR, the authors postulated that end-stage liver disease secondary to alcoholism could be the etiology of CSCR. Various studies have classified alcohol consumption differently. In this review, the concept of heavy drinking will be clarified through both quantitative and qualitative descriptions of daily alcohol consumption based on moderate or heavy alcohol abuse. Brain — interrupts normal pathways of communication and can affect brain function. Changes to the brain can affect mood or behavior and thought processes, including the ability to think clearly. Long-term alcohol addiction can also increase your risk of developing several types of cancer, including mouth, esophagus, liver, breast, and throat cancer.

Dry eyes are a common symptom from any type of alcoholic beverage, including wine. Not only can alcohol cause you to be dehydrated, which strains your eyes, but alcohol can also slow down your eyes’ natural reflexes. AMD causes blurring in the central part of the field of vision. It leads to difficulties with activities that need to be performed while looking straight ahead, such as driving, sewing and reading. This disease affects the macula, which is the part of the eye that allows you to see things in detail. As markers of teratogenesis, presence of ocular findings are considered as a useful adjunct to the diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome . It is believed that eye diseases occur in over 90% of children with the FAS.

Eye Muscle Control

The results of a recent meta-analysis involving nine cross-sectional and one case–control studies indicated that alcohol consumption could increase the risk of DES, irrespective of age and sex. Tear hyperosmolarity following alcohol consumption has been detected after heavy drinking.

When someone drinks alcohol, it slows down the rate at which neurotransmitters are firing in his or her brain. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that communicate information throughout the brain and the body. The delay in sending those messages means that the person’s eye muscle coordination becomes sluggish. At this point, the person experiences double vision or blurry vision after drinking alcohol blurred vision. The visual scotopic performance also worsens with heavy alcohol consumption. In a study on the topic, both the retinal image quality and visual performance under low-scotopic conditions were worsened after acute alcohol consumption. Increased pupil size and tear film disturbances were presented as the etiological factors of decreased optical quality.