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By Sam Andrews
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10/05/2021

Can Alcohol Cause Bloodshot Eyes?

Heavy alcohol use may cause problems with your vision and overall eye health. Some temporary effects occur when you drink, and other effects take time to develop and can be permanent. This article describes the https://ecosoberhouse.com/ potential effects of alcohol on your eyes. Now that you know what the effects of over-indulgence of alcohol and long-term excessive drinking, you will be aware of how it can affect the eye and eyesight.

People may also consider quitting smoking and reducing alcohol consumption to reduce the risk of negative effects on the eyes and other aspects of health. Short-term or immediate vision effects of drinking too much can impair your peripheral vision, resulting in tunnel vision. This makes it harder for your pupils to react, so they can’t constrict or dilate properly.

Ways Alcohol Affects The Eyes

Long-term effects of alcohol abuse can have detrimental consequences on your vision and eye health. In extreme cases, toxic amblyopia, the result of a toxic reaction in the optic nerve which causes permanent vision loss. Yellowing of the eyes is a sign of alcoholic hepatitis, a condition that can develop as a result of alcoholic liver disease. Alcoholic liver disease and alcoholic hepatitis are severe medical conditions, which can be life-threatening. Also referred to as tobacco-alcohol amblyopia, people who drink or smoke in excess can develop optic neuropathy, though it is rare.

Accordingly, ocular findings following acute alcohol intoxication, optic neuropathy following methanol toxicity, congenital conditions related to maternal alcohol consumption, and ocular disease related to chronic alcoholism are discussed. The main feature of alcohol intoxication in the eye is abnormal eye movement. Acute optic neuropathy secondary to methyl alcohol consumption is a serious ocular disease with permanent vision loss or scotoma. Prenatal exposure to ethanol may end in fetal alcohol spectrum disease, where ocular findings are a constant component. Intoxication means the effect of acute consumption of alcohol on different physiologic processes in the body. Not only following binge drinking, it can even happen following acute intake of light or moderate levels of alcohol.[4] The main feature of alcohol intoxication refers to its effect on the central nervous system.

Treatments for eye-related issues with alcohol

Our residential program helps you start walking on a path of good physical and mental health. Also referred to as optic neuropathy, alcohol amblyopia is one of the more severe ways alcohol affects your eyes. It refers to permanent blindness or loss of vision, decreased peripheral vision, or reduced ability to see color. Although many studies have shown that vision loss is often caused by nutritional deficiency, some alcohol blurry vision medical professionals believe that the toxic effects of alcohol can lead to this condition. There are many reasons to stop drinking, and damage to vision—whether short- or long-term—is one of them. Whether you consider yourself a “social drinker” or have struggled with alcohol misuse or addiction, consuming any amount of alcohol consistently over time can have negative physical and psychological consequences.

When someone spends a night drinking too much, the brain has trouble communicating with every part of the body including the eyes. The images being sent from the brain to the eyes are not being interpreted correctly or take a longer time to process. Sure, we know that drinking affects our vision and can cause blurred or double vision, especially at night. This is sometimes known as “beer goggles.” After all, impaired vision and a slowed reaction time are why drinking and driving are often a fatal combination.

The effects of heavy drinking

There is no treatment available for the disease, only methods of coping with your new vision. Optic nerve damage brought on by alcohol will sometimes lead to a condition called toxic amblyopia. This disease is usually seen in alcoholics due to too much menthol consumption.

Long-term symptoms of this effect may cause the blood vessels in your eyes to grow, making your eyes often appear red and bloodshot. Heavy drinking and excessive alcohol consumption can lead to inflammation of the liver and fatty liver disease. This can progress to alcoholic hepatitis and, ultimately, cirrhosis. When someone has alcoholic hepatitis, they may notice yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice) when they drink alcohol. Many pathophysiological aspects of the deteriorating effects of alcohol consumption on ocular structures have been demonstrated, however, additional well-designed studies are required for a definite conclusion.

For example, it may only take two drinks in an hour for a 100-pound woman to experience blurred vision or up to five drinks in an hour for a 240-pound man. A common side effect the night after drinking is the appearance of conjunctivitis, or what is also known as having bloodshot eyes. This primarily takes the form of a red tint encompassing most of the sclera surrounding the pupil, as well as the inflammation and swelling of any small veins contained therein. A number of studies link increased risk of cataracts to high levels of alcohol consumption compared to those who either don’t drink or drink only in moderation. Studies have shown that too much alcohol consumption can actually change eye movements in young adults; alcohol affects various areas of the central nervous system, including visual functions. The effects may be short term, such as blurred or double vision, or they may be long term and potentially permanent.

Prevention may be the best way to improve a person’s outlook for their eyes and other aspects of mental and physical health in relation to alcohol. Sensitivity to light is probably the most well-known side effect of a hangover. This vision problem can also affect inebriated people however they may have had too much to drink to remember.

Contact us now for more information about getting help for alcohol addiction. This is a sign of dehydration, which is why you should drink plenty of water even when you’re out partying. A good rule of thumb is to have one glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you consume to keep those fluids moving. Bloodshot eyes occur when the blood vessels in them become large and fill with blood.

• The yellow coloring affects the sclera, which is the part of the eye that is normally white.
• In this article, we focus on the impact alcohol has on our eyes.
• While not everyone who binge drinks has an AUD, it can be a very significant risk factor for the development of an AUD.
• Studies have shown that vision loss can be a result of a nutritional deficiency, and some professionals believe that the condition develops because of the toxic effects of alcohol and tobacco.
• But long-term alcoholism can cause nutritional deficiencies (such as B12 and folate deficiency) and gut absorption issues.