Your Eyes and Stress

Stress is known to affect the whole body in many different ways, but studies have now shown that stress can now potentially result in vision loss and eye conditions. Although many stress-related eyes problems are not permanent, you may start suffering from some of the following symptoms:

Photophobia – This causes your eyes to be sensitive or intolerant to sunlight and fluorescent light increasing the need to squint your eyes. Photophobia is usually accompanied by headaches and commonly occurs in females between 30-39 years old who suffer from stress and/or anxiety.

Dry Eyes – Some medications taken for stress can result in dry eye. If you experience sore, dry and irritated eyes then visit your optician. You may be advised to use lubricating drops.

Blurred Vision – People who suffer from stress can often suffer from blurred vision – sometimes induced through an anxiety attack, which causes your pupils to dilate activating your ‘fight or flight’ brain function. This can cause you some discomfort and can lead to headaches and eye strain.

There are many different methods in reducing your stress levels throughout the day – with the majority being easily integrated into your day-to-day life. We have compiled some easy to remember tricks to help you reduce stress and improve your eye care:

Maintain a well-balanced diet

It is easy to neglect your eating habits when you are having a stressful day at work, or when there’s a hectic home life. Making sure that you eat a healthy, well-balanced diet is crucial in maintaining your stress levels & reducing the likelihood of anxiety. Stay away from sugary and carb-heavy foods. Your eyes will thank you for this!

Practice Meditation or Yoga

Fitting in 10-30 minutes of meditation or yoga into your daily routine is proven to reduce stress and anxiety drastically. Many research studies have proven that these activities can improve your overall sleep pattern, halt your ‘fight or flight’ brain response & improve stress symptoms. Doing this will not only decrease your stress levels and improve your eye health – but you will notice other health benefits also.

Exercising

Regular exercise is known to increase the level of endorphins in your body and can naturally enhance your overall mood. As well as receiving physical health benefits, fitting exercise into your routine will also ensure that you reap mental health benefits also. Studies have also shown that keeping fit will also directly improve your eye health!

If you have been suffering from any of the symptoms mentioned in this blog, then it is better to be safe than sorry. Book an appointment with one of our specialised optometrists now to ensure that your eye health is up to scratch - CLICK HERE