Can Vision Issues Be Caused by Mental Stress? A doctor explains the effects of stress on the eyes

Stress-Related Vision Issues: Feeling stressed is a regular occurrence in today’s hectic environment due to worry, anxieties, fears, sadness, or social isolation. However, its influence goes well beyond mental boundaries and into the depths of our eye health. Long-term, persistent mental stress may throw off the autonomic nervous system’s equilibrium and cause vascular dysregulation, which can lead to a variety of eye-related problems.

Dr. Priyanka Singh (MBBS, MS, DNB, FAICO), Consultant & Eye Surgeon, Neytra Eye Centre, New Delhi, discussed the possible consequences of stress on eyesight in an interview with Jagran English.

How do your eyes react to stress?
Eye strain is one of the main effects of mental stress on eye health, and it is often made worse by erratic sleeping patterns like sleeping during the day and waking up in the middle of the night.

Eye pain brought on by crying or rage is made worse by profuse perspiration or habitually rubbing weary eyes. Even though they may first seem minor, these symptoms have the potential to worsen over time, gradually impair vision, and even induce inflammation in the eyes.

Temporary fuzzy vision or partial vision may be brought on by tensed eye muscles, which can be brought on by stress.

Dry eyes: Another cause of dry eyes is stress. Your body releases the hormone cortisol during times of stress, which may inhibit the production of tears. Dry eyes might develop from this, along with symptoms including burning, itching, and redness.

Unchecked mental stress may have more serious consequences, such as optic neuropathy, which is characterized by inflammation and slow atrophy of the optic nerve and results in visual loss. This disorder emphasizes the complex relationship between mental health and ocular well-being, since it is more common in those who smoke and drink excessive amounts of alcohol.

If glaucoma is not treated, it may lead to permanent vision loss. Glaucoma is often caused by an increasing imbalance in the neurological system, excessive blood pressure, or ocular pressure.

In addition, a number of other eye conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, are significantly exacerbated by mental stress.

Diseases of the eyes may also affect the brain and blood vessels, which are heavily influenced by hormones, particularly stress hormones. Thus, mental stress is not a minor personality issue; rather, it is a trio of serious biological, psychological, and ocular conditions that need to be properly diagnosed and treated.

In summary, stress may have an impact on your eyes as well as your thoughts. It’s critical to identify eye problems early and get treatment as soon as possible to prevent stress from exacerbating them. This offers us hope even in the face of uncertainty. To help you manage the situation, if you have any stress-related vision issues, speak with an eye professional.