Stress is a significant factor in mental health problems including anxiety and depression. It is also linked to physical health problems like heart disease, problems with our immune system, insomnia, digestive problems and perhaps surprisingly eye health.
We spoke to leading eye expert Dr Andy Hepworth from Essilor who shared four ways that stress can affect eyesight and how to reduce its impact.
Blurred vision and light sensitivity: Our pupils will naturally dilate in a stressful situation to enhance vision so that threats can be seen clearly. However, high levels of adrenaline can cause pressure on the eyes, resulting in temporary blurred vision. You may also find that your eyes become more sensitive to light, with bright light hurting your eyes and making it harder to see.
Eye strain: Whilst eye strain is more commonly caused by digital screen usage, it can also result from stress. This is because when we are stressed we tense our muscles – this might lead to headaches, jaw ache from teeth grinding and muscular pain. People with long-term anxiety can suffer from eye strain during the day on a regular basis.
Eye twitches: Another temporary sign of stress can be eye twitches. These also occur because of muscle tension, as well as tiredness and will often occur in just one eye. Eye twitches can be extremely irritating and you may feel conscious that other people can see the contraction but they are often something that only you will be aware of and will go away on their own.
Dry or watery eyes: There are a number of ways that stress can contribute to both dry and watery eyes. This could be from a weakening of the immune system or lack of sleep. You may experience one or the other dependent on how your body responds.
Dr Andy Hepworth says: “When you experience stress, your body will follow a fight or flight response and will react in a number of different ways. This will often have a negative impact on your body and your eyes are no exception. Many people may not realise that eye issues can be so intrinsically linked to stress and put it down to other factors. But in reality, stress may be impacting your day-to-day in many more ways than you think.
“Similarly, eye tests are also an important way to spot underlying issues that may be related to high levels of stress. Eyes are like a magnifying glass into the inner workings of our blood vessels, nerves and connective tissues throughout the body. A close inspection of the lens, retina and optic nerve can reveal a host of disorders, high blood pressure and diabetes among them, even if the patient feels fine and shows no other symptoms.
“For example, eye exams can detect a number of cardiovascular conditions, including clogged arteries or decreased blood flow due to heart disease. These conditions can leave plaque deposits or show as damage within the eye area to indicate a more significant health issue. A very slight bleed in the eye, that presents itself as a tiny broken blood vessel in the white of the eye, can be associated with high blood pressure.”
And what about the stress we’re putting our eyes under everyday with hours and hours of screen usage?
As a world-leading innovator in spectacle lens technology, Essilor is encouraging Brits to take extra precautions to avoid eyesight issues and discomfort caused by digital screen usage and to understand the risk of developing visual fatigue also known as Computer Vision Syndrome.
Dr. Andy Hepworth explains: “Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is a condition resulting from looking at a digital device (phone, tablet &/or computer screen) for protracted, uninterrupted periods of time; because the screen distance will make eyes work harder amplified by pixels constantly refreshing and the eyes must constantly refocus to see the screen clearly. The muscles within the eye are unable to recover from the strain. It is also proven that people blink less frequently when staring at a screen, which causes eyes to dry, become slightly itchy and in some cases can result in blurred vision. Glasses wearers that have incorrect or outdated prescription lenses can also be more susceptible to CVS.
“Signs of CVS are often overlooked, but left unchecked, could lead to longer term eye health issues. Symptoms include eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes and neck and shoulder pain. If you are suffering from any of these ailments you should contact your local optician, which will remain open during lockdown, for an eye exam.”
Here’s how to reduce stressing your eyes out and to help with CVS.
Prevent eye strain with ‘Eye Yoga’
It goes without saying that taking breaks from screens will help to reduce eye-strain. An easy way to get into a positive habit is to follow the 20:20:20 rule.
Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Or take part in eye yoga, anywhere, anytime. Look to the left, hold the position, repeat looking right. Look up, hold the position, repeat looking down. Repeat four times, closing your eyes and relaxing in between.
Use lenses to combat CVS
Eyezen lenses, with first of its kind DualOptim technology, are specialist ‘computer lenses’, designed to reduce eye strain or visual fatigue. Wearing these lenses can support your eyes from working so hard especially when using digital devices. Eyezen lenses can be worn even if you don’t need a prescription. Different waves lengths of light, such as Ultraviolet and Blue-Violet light, can also cause premature eye ageing. Eye Protect System is a unique filtering system that is embedded into Eyezen lenses to create Blue-Violet light filtering glasses.
Maintain regular eye tests
Having regular eye tests and wearing the right corrective prescription lenses is the most important way you can protect your sight. By keeping on top of your optician appointments, or maybe going for your first one, you can maintain one of the most important senses we have and see as clearly as possible, for as long as possible. It is important not to be put off visiting your optician because of the pandemic – all practitioners have stringent social distancing measures in place.
Take a break and go outdoors
It’s important to take a break from screens and to go outside. Looking at objects in different distances and in natural light can be beneficial for your eyes and sight.
There is no quick fix for dealing with stress, but if you are concerned that your stress and anxiety levels are having an impact on your eyesight then you should consider it a warning sign that you need to take steps to get things a little bit more under control. A good starting point is working out which stress management techniques work best for you. This could be:
- Meditation and breathing techniques
- Exercise
- Talking to a friend
- Indulging in some self-care and a thorough bedtime winddown routine
- Taking regular breaks from your screen during the day – going outside to give your eyes a rest and to benefit from fresh air and the outdoors (ecotherapy)
- A digital detox
In the main, eyesight issues caused by stress are often temporary and they will ease once the causes of stress are reduced, but as with many conditions, being overwhelmed by stress can sometimes lead to other health problems, so if eye issues don’t lessen a visit to an optician is advisable.
For more information and eye health advice visit www.essilor.co.uk
