Stress is an ugly mistress, and one that can cause your body much harm. Not only does stress take a toll on your medical health, but eye doctors treat patients every day who have had their eyesight damaged by the effects of stress. Following are a few ways that stress negatively impacts your vision.
Glaucoma
Stress prompts your body to produce adrenaline and other enzymes that are damaging to the body’s cells. Overproduction of adrenaline can raise eye pressure, which may bring on glaucoma as the pressure damages the optic nerve. Glaucoma is a very dangerous eye disease that has the potential to rapidly cause irreversible blindness.
Eye Strain
Working at a stressful job and being under the gun to meet deadlines puts your eyes under major pressure. Staring at a computer for hours or working intently to get things done may make your eyes blurry, watery, red, irritated, and painful. You may have trouble seeing properly after a while, and your concentration will suffer. For the health and comfort of your eyes, take a vision break regularly. For every 20 minutes of intense computer work, take 20 seconds to look at least 20 feet away. This allows your eye’s lens to change focus and relax a little. Aim for 8-9 hours of sleep a night to allow your eyes to rest.
Migraine and Tension Headaches
Eye doctors often get inquiries from patients about a severe headaches. When you are under significant stress, it may trigger a migraine or tension headache, especially if your appetite suffers too. Migraines are a painful type of headache accompanied by a multitude of symptoms such as the flashing lights or colors in your vision field, pain so severe you can barely think, vomiting, and increased sensitivity to light. Tension headaches may feel like a band of pain towards the top of your head but are less severe and lack most of the other symptoms.
Managing your stress will improve your overall health and wellness, and help you avoid vision trouble. Talk to your medical and eye doctors today if you’ve been dealing with intense stress, for suggestions on how to effectively handle stressful times in your life.
