How Does Stress Affect Your Eye Health?

Wear prescription glasses

We all have a basic understanding of how stress causes hair loss or skin problems. But did you know that stress is evil for your eyes as well?

Everybody experiences stress whether it is due to family issues, financial problems, work or unwelcomed circumstances. While some people experience mental trauma, others start to crave comforting foods to feel better.

When you are going through a rough patch in your life, don’t let your eyes pay the price. Learn about what eye problems you can face due to stress and how to tackle them.

How does stress affect your eyes?

Eye problems due to stress are often temporary and will disappear as soon as the stress is gone. Maybe you are working to deadlines or you have lost a loved one. All these things can take a toll on your mental well being as well as your eyes. 

When you are stressed, your pupils will dilate on their own to give you a better vision. If you’ve been stressed over something for a while, this could negatively impact your vision. 

But, if you wear prescription glasses, it is possible that the signs we are going to talk about is only due to a change in your prescription. If your eye doctor has dismissed this possibility, it is safe to assume that you feel the following eye problems due to stress:

Eye strain

Continuous stress will cause tension in your eye muscles that can lead to eye pain or headaches. If you keep putting your eyes through extensive work even when they are tense, you will wear them out and they’ll be straining to see.

Eye strain is also a common outcome of extensive screen time. While you can wear the best blue light blocking glasses or wait for some time to let the eye pain go away on its own, when you are stressed, it won’t go away that easy.

Blurry vision

When we are stressed or anxious, the high amounts of adrenaline in the body can put a lot of pressure on the eyes. It can result in blurry vision where you are not able to see the images clearly. 

However, if you are over 40 and experience constantly blurred vision, you are probably not stressed and need a good pair of reading glasses. They will compensate for the low near vision which is common in your age. You can get your reading glasses online as you won’t need a prescription strength to buy them. 

Sensitivity to light

If you’ve been stressed for a long time, the constant pupil dilation can make you sensitive to light. Moreover, if you are deeply stressed, the muscles around your eyes can tighten up which will leave you sour-eyed.

However, if you are not stressed but sensitive to light generally, you may have photophobia. This is common in people and can be corrected with tinted glasses. Even when you buy low cost varifocal lenses & glasses, you will have the option to add a tint on the lens surface. It will bring down the light levels as perceived by your eyes. 

Droopy eyes or ptosis

Although it is a completely age-related problem, being continuously stressed can weaken the levator’s muscles in your eyelids. It will lead your eyelids to fall downward and you may even experience a visual block. Normal cases of ptosis do not require any medical intervention but if it happens on a severe level, you might need eye surgery or special glasses.

How to reduce the effects of stress on our eyes?

If you want to make this happen, you will have to boost your optic health. This includes the following:

  • Do some eye exercises to strengthen your peepers and also relax them at the same time. You can do palming or make a figure of 8 with your eyes whenever they feel tired.
  • Eat a healthy diet that is packed with vitamin C & E. Green leafy vegetables and fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel are the best foods to eat for better eye health.
  • Take timely breaks from your digital devices and indulge in some fun activities during the break.
  • Make sure you get at least 8 hours of sleep to give proper rest to your eyes. 

The takeaway

Once your stress is gone, your eyes will get back to normal. However, if that doesn’t happen, reach out to an optician or an eye doctor to know about the condition of your eyes.