Your blurry vision, eye twitching, headaches and watery or dry eyes may be caused by stress.
Other stress-inducing vision issues can include dizziness, eye strain, sensitivity to light, eye floaters and eye spasms.
Stress is the body’s natural response to any demand for change that interferes with its normal equilibrium. Whether the response is physical, mental, emotional or visual, stress can affect all of us to one degree or another.
Stress can cause anxiety, depression, elevated blood pressure, digestive issues, migraines and even vision changes.
How stress affects vision
When the body is stressed, your pupils dilate to allow more light to enter so you can see potential threats more clearly. However, high levels of adrenaline can cause pressure on the eyes, resulting in blurred vision.
Yes, stress may be causing your eye twitching (also known as a lid myokymia) This lid “twitching” is a result of the continuous contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle. The twitching is typically in just one eye, benign and temporary.
Stress also can lead to vision loss. Furthermore, stress not only causes new conditions but can worsen existing conditions.
For example, the latest research concludes that ongoing psychological stress and the associated increased level of cortisol are risk factors in the development and progression of deteriorating vision.
Cortisol can be one of the major causes of serious vision diseases, including glaucoma, optic neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.
Emotions and vision issues
The term functional or hysterical vision loss is used to describe any vision impairment that cannot be explained by pathology or structural abnormalities. It has also been described as a “conversion disorder.”
This loss of vision occurs outside the patient's conscious awareness.
The “conversion” is the repression of emotions (such as fear and/or anger) that are converted to a significant reduction in vision. These patients complain of significant blur in the absence of refractive error (need for glasses) or pathology (disease).
These patients typically have no issues with ocular motility (movement and alignment of the eyes) but do struggle with significant reduction in visual acuity. Their visual field is affected and appears to be “tubular.”
Hysterical amblyopia falls in line with the belief that our minds want us to focus on the physical symptoms rather than the difficult emotions.
Resolution often occurs with awareness of the condition, low plus lenses and/or the consideration of counseling to assist the patient.
SEE RELATED: Schizophrenia and Vision
Symptoms of stress
Reducing stress levels may help reverse the decline and restore vision.
Various common lifestyle factors and activities can induce eye stress, such as performing more close-up work, working longer hours and using more digital technology.
Stress can produce noticeable physical effects on the eyes, including discomfort, dryness, strain, and increased sensitivity to light. Digital eye strain, for example, can cause the muscles around the eyes to become strained and trigger headaches.
Fortunately, many stress-related eye problems are temporary, especially once the stressor contributing to them is addressed.
Ways to ease your stress
Some of the most basic steps to reduce stress can be simple and cost little or nothing.
Approaches like deep breathing exercises, stress management training, talk therapy and meditation are recommended to slow the progression of vision loss.
If these approaches don’t work and stress-related vision symptoms persist, see your eye doctor. Detecting and treating problems early can help maintain good vision for the rest of your life.
SEE RELATED: Effects of sleep deprivation on the eyes
