How Does Alcohol Consumption Affect Your Eyes?

Drinking alcohol may often give you some temporary side effects such as blurry vision and dizziness, but it’s usually temporary so you’ll get better after resting properly. But if you always drink heavily, you’re putting yourself at higher risk for changes in your eyesight, leading to permanent damage over time. Fortunately, there’s no need to give up on alcohol completely as long as you pace yourself. By drinking moderately, you won’t go through any vision-related problems.

It also helps to be aware of how it affects your eyes and eyesight. Our resident eye doctor at Vienna Eyecare Center explains them here:

Short-Term Effects

Slower Pupil Reaction – This means alcohol slows down the iris’ ability to dilate and constrict. This can affect your visual performance while driving at night because the oncoming headlights may dazzle your vision. And with your eyes blurred due to alcohol intake, it may cause an accident.

Migraines – Sometimes, alcohol can cause headaches. You may also feel a slight visual aura that can cause temporary blind spots or light patterns in your vision while you’re having a headache.

Eyelid Twitching – This spasm of eye movement is often painless but still annoying at times. Also known as myokymia, it’s caused by a muscle in the eye that can be triggered by alcohol intake, stress, vitamin deficiency, or even too much coffee. Normally, the twitching sensation should go away within a day. But if it persists after two weeks, have it checked by a trusted optometrist before it gets worse.

Long-Term Effects

Drinking too much alcohol regularly can impact your brain function over time. This affects your eyesight as well, which means you can permanently get blurred or double vision due to the gradual weakening of the muscles in the eyes. Studies have also shown that there’s a link between cataract development and excessive drinking. You can even get tunnel vision or develop amblyopia (lazy eye) due to high alcohol consumption.

Whether you want to have a comprehensive eye exam or looking to get new eyeglasses, Vienna Eyecare Center is a name you can trust! Set up an appointment today by calling (703) 938-7633 or fill out our convenient contact form. We serve our customers in Vienna, Reston, Mclean, and the neighboring VA areas.

Dr. Richard Snively