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Can Drinking Alcohol Affect My Eyesight?


When it comes to drinking alcohol, moderation is key. Enjoying a glass of wine with dinner can offer several health benefits, but finishing the bottle every night can present a few health risks. Just as excessive alcohol use can have a negative effect on the body, it can also be detrimental to the health of your eyes. Discover the effects of alcohol on your vision!

The Immediate Effects

If you’ve ever had one too many drinks, you understand that your vision can become blurry, but there are a variety of other subtle ways that alcohol impairs your eyesight. Alcohol can slow down the pupil’s ability to dilate and constrict, which leads to difficulty adapting to lighting contrasts. Drinking alcohol dehydrates the body, and can make dry eye symptoms even worse. What’s more, alcoholic beverages can also cause eyelid twitching, also known as myokymia.

The Long-Term Effects

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines binge drinking as five or more alcoholic drinks on the same occasion. Binge drinking, or drinking excessively, can lead to a variety of long-term health effects.

Pregnant women who continue to use alcohol are at risk of damaging the health of their fetus. For example, alcohol exposure can permanently damage the eyesight of the baby in the womb. Drinking alcohol can also increase a person’s chance of developing cataracts, AMD, and Optic neuropathy. Alcohol abuse also hinders the liver’s ability to absorb essential vitamins, leading to dryness, night blindness, corneal perforation, and other eye-relation problems.

CALL THE CATONSVILLE EYE GROUP TODAY!

Here at the Catonsville Eye Group, providing the best patient care is our #1 priority. The professionalism of our doctors coupled with our capable and caring staff, state of the art technology, and extensive frame and lens options are what have made Catonsville Eye Group the first choice for families in our community. We strive to provide the best possible professional care at fair and reasonable prices to our patients in the most courteous way possible!

If you would like to schedule an appointment, order contact lenses, or ask questions about our services at Catonsville Eye Group, please call our office at (410) 747-1221 or email us by clicking this link. We will respond to your request within 24 hours.

We’re located at the heart of the Music City at 611 Frederick Rd., Suite 101. Drop on by, or schedule an appointment today. We’re looking forward to seeing you!

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