Our results also showed that stereopsis was more impaired at distance, which is in line with previous findings indicating that heterophoria also increases at distance [7,8]. There are a number of short term effects which alcohol blurry vision after drinking alcohol has on your eyesight and, while not serious, they make it unsafe for you to drive in the hours after having consumed alcohol. The most common effect is double vision, or blurry vision, brought on by heavy drinking.

These are short-term effects that can begin while you are drinking, and can last for several hours afterward. As fun as it may be to have a few drinks with friends, we all know that drinking too much alcohol has negative effects on our health. We all know about hangovers, but what about the effects that drinking may have on our eyes? We’re not here to preach about alcohol consumption (hey, even your favorite optometrist probably enjoys the occasional glass of wine), we’re here to simply give you a better understanding of how alcohol affects your eyes. Many studies have reported that obesity is an independent risk factor for high IOP.

Alcohol Consumption and Your Eyes

Certain health conditions can dictate how much alcohol, if any, is good for you. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, taking certain medications, have certain health or mental conditions or are under the age of 21, you should not drink, according to the NIAAA. IOP is the only controllable risk in patients with glaucoma, regardless of the presence of high IOP [28].

These correlations may contribute to several possible complications or effects on the eyes. Dr. Seema Khosla is the medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep and a medical advisor for MedBridge Healthcare. She is also a fellow of the College of Chest Physicians, as well as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).

Eye movements and drinking

Short-term effects may result from intoxication, which people often describe as “being drunk.” This occurs when alcohol affects the central nervous system. A person can become intoxicated even with moderate drinking and may experience temporary disturbances to their vision. In addition to the short-term and temporary effects of alcohol, consuming heavy amounts of alcohol can lead to irreversible eye problems over time. You might develop a painless loss of vision, decreased peripheral vision, or reduced color vision.

• Specifically, there is a deterioration in the VDI, as well as an increased pupil size, particularly for high BrAC levels [14,15,39].
• In some cases, methanol poisoning can occur as a result of drinking homemade alcohol or moonshine.
• It is a common trigger for people who have migraines, and alcohol can also trigger a headache for some people who don’t otherwise have migraines or headaches.
• This often occurs after a drinking session and is present for the time during which the body recovers from a large alcohol intake.
• Nicole Gregory is an editor and writer in Los Angeles who has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register, Vegetarian Times, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, New Woman and Living Fit, among other publications.

Moreover, one standard drink of 20% soju corresponded to 1/4 of soju bottle (about 90 mL). One drink of a standard soju cup corresponded to a standard 4/7 cup, and when converted into a standard drink, it was calculated up to one decimal place. Numerous studies have investigated whether alcohol consumption is a risk factor for high IOP. Because the flushing response indirectly reflects alcohol metabolism, it can be used as an indicator of alcohol decomposition ability, thereby eliminating the need for genetic testing. The flushing response afflicts more than half of the East Asian popluation [14]. Therefore, studying the relationship between alcohol consumption and IOP with respect to the flushing response is necessary in Korea, a country with a particularly high drinking rate.

Alcohol and Eye Health: The Effect of Alcohol on Vision

Another problem that excessive drinking leads to is migraine headaches, as the eye becomes sensitive to light; the result is pain. A third side effect of drinking excessively is a condition called myokymia, also known as eyelid twitching. It can occur for a variety of reasons; anything from stress and fatigue to caffeine and dry eyes can be a trigger.

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.

Toxic optic neuropathy is a condition where alcohol damages the optic nerve. The optic nerve is especially susceptible to damage from Methanol (a type of alcohol, which is used for paints, glue and disinfection). The concentration of Methanol may be more in homemade brewed alcoholic beverages.

• The ethanol content of beer is about 5% while it ranges between 8% and 15% for wine.
• Lindsay Modglin is a nurse and professional writer who regularly writes about complex medical topics, as well as travel and the great outdoors.
• When you think of damage from alcohol, perhaps eyesight isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
• 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.
• For many people, enjoying the occasional drink with friends or a glass of wine with dinner is something to look forward to.

Drinking large amounts of alcohol may temporarily but significantly increase the size of your pupils, though effects can vary from person to person. 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. Optic neuropathy can also develop as a result of accidental methanol poisoning.