How Does Alcohol Affect the Eyes? In the short term, alcohol causes people to have bloodshot and dry eyes as well as blurred vision. But in the long term, alcohol consumption can cause a nutrient deficiency in the body which is known to cause optic nerve damage and even blindness.
As far as the eyes are concerned, alcohol weakens the muscles of your eye; it can damage the optic nerves permanently, preventing the interaction of the brain and eyes. Double and distorted vision can occur from information that is slowed down between the eye and the brain.
For example, after just 24 hours of no alcohol, your blood sugar levels will normalise and blurred vision caused by alcohol intake will disappear. “The longer you abstain you may also notice your eyes become brighter and whiter, as your body counteracts damage/yellowing of the sclera – the white part of your eye.
Alcoholic eyes often look red and irritated. One of the reasons this occurs is because alcohol use can make the blood vessels in your eyes swell or even burst.
One drink typically raises your blood alcohol content (BAC) to 0.02-0.03% and doesn't tend to affect your vision at all. It takes a BAC of around 0.08-0.09% before your vision, motor function, reaction times, and physical coordination are affected.
Similarly, excessive drinking of alcohol can cause premature aging to the vitreous humour, which can trigger the development of floaters. If you want to reduce risks or prevent floaters entirely, we strongly recommend you change your lifestyle.
Generally, symptoms of alcoholic liver disease include abdominal pain and tenderness, dry mouth and increased thirst, fatigue, jaundice (which is yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, and nausea. Your skin may look abnormally dark or light. Your feet or hands may look red.
Alcohol: Lowers eye pressure for a short duration but some studies suggest that daily alcohol consumption is associated with higher eye pressure.
3-4 Weeks. At 3 weeks of not drinking, most drinkers have successfully reduced their risk of heart disease, including stroke, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Their kidney health and even their vision may improve. For dependent drinkers, blood pressure may reduce to normal levels by the 3rd or 4th week.
Most people who give up alcohol notice that their skin is dewy, and healthier looking after just one week. By the end of Dry January, you're likely to see less swelling, clearer skin, and an overall healthy glow.
So why does alcohol cause blurred vision? A study was conducted by the University of Grenada in Spain. Researchers say drinking alcohol disturbs the tear film that is present on the outer surface of our eyes. This increases the perception of halos at night.
When you drink alcohol, you don't digest alcohol. It passes quickly into your bloodstream and travels to every part of your body. Alcohol affects your brain first, then your kidneys, lungs and liver. The effect on your body depends on your age, gender, weight and the type of alcohol.
Research from 2021 links moderate to high alcohol consumption with an increased risk of early AMD. This means that even moderate amounts of alcohol, such as the CDC's one- to two-drink limit, could increase a person's risk of AMD. Learn more about moderate drinking here.
For some people, floaters go away after a few minutes or a longer period of time. For others, they are permanent—they might change in size or number, but they are always present.
Floaters usually happen because of normal changes in your eyes. As you age, tiny strands of your vitreous (the gel-like fluid that fills your eye) stick together and cast shadows on your retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye). Those shadows appear as floaters.
Ocular neuropathic pain is a diagnosis of exclusion which refers to the heightened perception of pain in response to normally non-painful stimuli. It usually presents without any visible objective exam findings, making it extremely difficult to identify. For this reason, it is often misdiagnosed as dry eye disease.
Can Liver Disease Lead to Vision Problems? Living with liver disease can present physical and mental health challenges, including impaired eyesight. One of the main functions of the liver is to remove harmful toxins throughout the body.
The liver can develop new cells, but prolonged alcohol misuse (drinking too much) over many years can reduce its ability to regenerate.
It is estimated that alcohol-related fatty liver disease develops in 90% of people who drink more than 40g of alcohol (or four units) per day. That's roughly the equivalent of two medium (175ml) glasses of 12% ABV wine, or less than two pints of regular strength (4% ABV) beer.
High blood pressure and vision disturbance
Any change to your vision could be an indication of hypertensive retinopathy. Increased pressure in the eyes can damage the blood vessels and surrounding tissues over time, leading to various vision changes, including blurring, eye floaters and seeing double.