Alcohol dilates your blood vessels, which can cause temporary redness and a flushed appearance. Due to conflicting evidence on the role alcohol may play in chronic vision conditions, more research is necessary to clarify the long-term effects of heavy alcohol use on the eyes. Detoxing from alcohol, committing to long-term sobriety, and restoring nutrients through a healthy diet and lifestyle will set the body back on a path to wellness. If you are asking these questions, it may be because someone has told you that you have changes to your eyes or even called them alcoholic eyes. Many people recognize those changes to the liver and kidneys that are common, but they may not know much about what alcohol can do to the eyes themselves.
If you or someone you love is battling an alcohol addiction, we have specialists available to help walk you through the stages to get the help needed for sobriety. Optic Neuropathy is essentially visual impairment due to damage of the optic nerve. Toxic optic neuropathy is damage to the nerve due to a toxin, like alcohol. There are many vital vitamins a person is deprived of when consuming large quantities of alcohol. The most common deficiency among heavy drinkers is the lack of vitamin B.
Stay curious, stay informed, and give your eyes (and the rest of your body!) the care they deserve and the opportunity to thrive. While our focus today is on the eyes, it’s crucial to recognize that they’re just one part of the story. Alcohol use is connected with various vision problems, including blurry sight, dry eyes, and even blindness. These side effects can be both temporary and long term, and they range in severity. It can also affect outward appearance, ranging from minor skin abnormalities to potentially life-threatening conditions. Recovered spoke with plastic surgeon Dr. Bart Kachniarz to understand exactly how alcohol abuse affects appearance and what can be done to rectify it.
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This condition severely affects central vision, crucial for reading, driving, and facial recognition. It poses a significant risk, especially for older adults, impacting essential daily activities and overall quality of life. After withdrawal, alcohol addiction treatment should involve therapy to address root issues that led to alcohol abuse. Possible treatments include corrective lenses or glasses to correct blurred or distorted vision and use of eye drops to address bloodshot eyes. Excessive alcohol consumption can negatively affect the eyes, leading to rapid eye movement, double vision, and potential blindness.
As a result, the body is more susceptible to infections, including eye infections. Heavy alcohol use may increase the risk of developing cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye, leading to blurred vision and eventually blindness if left untreated. Cataracts can be treated with cataract surgery, which replaces the natural, echo house sober living clouded lens with an artificial lens.
Drinking alcohol may decrease the sensitivity of your peripheral vision. You might not see very well on your right and left sides, which can cause you to ignore objects on your sides. This may also give you the effect or perception of having tunnel vision.
Decreased Peripheral Vision
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- One common symptom is glassy or glossy-looking eyes, which occur due to the relaxation of the eye muscles and dilation of blood vessels.
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- This is because alcohol can affect the eye’s ability to quickly adjust focus between near and far objects, a function needed for tasks like driving.
The liver processes most of the alcohol we drink but is unable to deal with all of it. For heavy drinkers and those with an alcohol use disorder, the remaining alcohol leaves the body via breath, sweat, and urine. Combining alcohol and certain drugs causes the negative effects on oral hygiene to become worse. One of the most common forms of oral damage from substance abuse is through smoking meth, often referred to as meth mouth.
Tailored treatment advice for you
Drinking too much alcohol can contribute to eye fatigue and strain, as you work to see clearly despite the negative impact on eyesight caused by drinking. Treatments can vary based on how alcohol has affected a person’s eyes and optic nerve. For example, many people have occult eye muscle imbalances, but the sober brain can preserve crisp, single vision. Once the person has consumed a little alcohol, the brain relaxes that control and vision problems become apparent. However, these changes will go away once the alcohol has cleared the system.
Alcoholic Eyes
Don’t wait until the effects become more serious; make your eye health a priority today. Starting on the path to recovery from alcohol addiction is a significant step, and finding the right support is recommended. Medical detox safely manages the physical symptoms of withdrawal under medical supervision, ensuring that your first steps towards sobriety are as safe as possible. Heavy drinking increases the risk of developing cataracts, leading to the clouding of the eye’s lens. This condition significantly diminishes visual clarity and can progress to blindness if untreated.
They can make it harder for your body to produce collagen, a key component of healthy skin cycles, and for your skin to heal after any kind of trauma. Persistent skin sores and skin infections are more common in people with weakened immune systems. The result is telangiectasias, or permanent spider veins, in the face, neck, and chest.
Early stages are often asymptomatic, but as the disease progresses, peripheral vision may be lost, eventually leading to blindness if left untreated. This combination of professional detox and customized therapy offers a solid foundation for recovery and long-term success in overcoming alcohol addiction. If you’re ready to take that step, help here is and tailored just for you. Excessive alcohol consumption can speed up the onset of macular degeneration, which deteriorates the central part of the retina.
