Can Stress Affect Your Vision (and How)

The connection between mental stress and vision was first proposed by the ancient Indian surgeon Susruta. According to his ancient text titled ‘Susruta Sahmita’, six of the eighteen causes of vision loss are related to bodily or emotional stress.

Modern research also agrees with Susruta, as studies show a higher prevalence of anxiety disorders among people with various ophthalmic conditions. In the US, anxiety symptoms are prevalent in patients with uveitis (53.5%), dry eye disease (37.2%), and glaucoma (30.7%), while anxiety disorders are highest in thyroid eye disease (28.9%) and glaucoma (22.2%).

A literature review of studies from 1st January to 31st December 2024 also suggests that stress may both contribute to and result from conditions like glaucoma and other vision problems. Additionally, visual disturbances caused by stress, such as blurry vision, can lead to anxiety or panic. This emotional response can worsen physiological symptoms, creating a loop of stress-eye health issues.

In this article, we will examine the effect of stress on the eye, common vision problems from stress and when vision changes need medical attention.

How the Body Reacts to Stress: Hormones, Tension, and Blood Flow

Stress is the body’s natural response to a perceived threat or danger, whether physical or psychological. This response is often referred to as the stress response or the fight-or-flight response. It involves a complex interaction between the brain, endocrine and nervous systems.

Your stress response is designed to protect your body, but when it is activated for too long, that system becomes dysregulated. This dysregulation causes physical, mental, physiological health effects, impacting your overall well-being.

When your brain detects a stressor (which could be physical, emotional or mental), it activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA is the body’s core stress-regulating system and works by activating the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland then releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

This hormonal response prepares your body for fight-or-flight, fawn, or freeze. But when stress becomes chronic, it can lead to anxiety, brain fog, reactivity, fatigue, sleep issues, high blood sugar, weight gain and a weakened immune system.

Stress also triggers a physical response, making your muscles automatically contract. Contracted muscles are a protective mechanism that prepares you to defend yourself or escape danger. But with chronic stress, the muscles in your neck, shoulders, and back tighten, and

your facial muscles also tighten around your jaw and eyes. Eventually, this prolonged contraction in different areas of the body leads to migraines, tension headaches and over time discomfort and fatigue. 

During stress, the body prioritises survival by redistributing blood flow to the brain, heart and muscles. There is also a decrease in blood flow to the non-essential systems like the digestive, reproductive and immune systems to conserve energy. This rapid change in blood flow can cause cold hands and feet, constipation, nausea and increased blood pressure.

In summary, while acute stress responses are normal, chronic responses keep your body in a state of alarm, dysregulating your nervous system. This can lead to health conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, chronic fatigue, immune suppression, anxiety, depression, and more.

Common Vision Problems from Stress: Blurred Vision and Twitching

While the link between stress and eye diseases is not yet fully understood, we know that the cortisol stress hormone causes the pupil to dilate so we can see threats more clearly. The problem is that elevated stress hormones can trigger visual disturbances, such as blurred vision and twitching.

• Stress-Related Blurred Vision: According to Dr. Kevin McKinney of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, “Stressful situations can make objects and people appear slightly out of focus.” Extreme stress, such as a panic attack, can cause blurry eyes due to the imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body.

• Eye Twitching: Eye twitching, or myokymia, is a neurological event where the muscle around your eye contracts rapidly and involuntarily. It can be triggered by stress, and is usually harmless and temporary.

Other common vision problems from stress include: eye-strain headaches, elevated eye pressure, photophobia, tunnel vision, and eye floaters. Though rare, psychogenic blindness (a condition where no physical cause of vision loss is found) can occur due to extreme emotional or psychological stress.

Eye Strain and Fatigue’s Role in Stress-Related Vision Issues

Eye strain and fatigue are common contributors to stress-related vision issues. Studies show that staring at something for too long, inadequate sleep, and constant multitasking can overwork your eyes, making them feel strained and tired.

Eye strain, clinically known as asthenopia, occurs when the eye muscles become overworked. This near point visual distress happens due to extended use of screens, reading or focusing for too long without breaks, poor lighting, or incorrect prescriptions.

Psychological stress can exacerbate these symptoms by increasing muscle tension and interfering with blinking, which reduces the release and distribution of tears, the natural lubricant in your eyes.

Over time, if left unchecked, this mental strain and eye fatigue may lead to long-lasting functional visual issues.

Stress-Induced Dry Eyes: An Overlooked Cause of Discomfort

Stress-related dry eyes is a growing concern. It is often blamed on environmental factors, screen use, and even aging. But one overlooked cause is psychological stress. Dry eyes occur when your eyes do not make enough tears or when the tears that are made dry up quickly.

As previously mentioned, stress triggers the release of cortisol, which is typically protective when it occurs for a brief duration. However, when it occurs over an extended period of time, as in chronic stress, it can result in the release of inflammation-causing substances. These substances can damage the tear gland and cause dry eyes.

Migraines and Visual Disturbances: Stress’s Neurological Effect

Research has shown that a migraine is a neuroanatomical condition that runs in families. More than just a bad headache, migraines involve abnormal brain activity and often causes throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head. Heightened light sensitivity is another symptom of a migraine or chronic stress.

Stress is a significant trigger for migraines. When stress affects the brain’s sensitive nervous system, it can lead to an increased likelihood of electrical activity in nerve cells, resulting in temporary disturbances. These disturbances manifest as visual auras before or during a migraine attack.

The headache occurs when pain-sensing nerves called the trigeminal nerves get triggered. In simpler terms, a migraine is a neurological disorder. One of this nerve’s three branches, the ophthalmic nerve, provides sensation to parts of the forehead and eye. When a migraine is triggered by factors like stress, the trigeminal nerve can release pain-related chemicals that cause inflammation.

If the visual centre of the brain is affected, this may lead to visual disturbances such as flashing lights or blind spots known as visual auras.

Panic Attacks and Tunnel Vision: Stress Reactions Impacting Sight

Panic attacks are sudden episodes of intense fear and anxiety accompanied by a range of physical symptoms. One of the underestimated physical symptoms of panic attacks is tunnel vision.

Tunnel vision is a sensation where peripheral vision fades, leaving only the centre of the visual field clear. Though temporary, this visual narrowing can heighten fear and contribute to a spiralling panic response.

During a panic attack, hyperventilation reduces carbon dioxide levels in the blood. This causes vasoconstriction that limits blood flow to the brain and eyes, impairing vision.

Simultaneously, stress hormones dilate the pupils to sharpen focus, but this can diminish depth perception and peripheral vision. The brain also narrows its attention to perceive threats, filtering out non-essential visual input.

Long-term Stress and Its Impact on Chronic Eye Conditions

Stress doesn’t just affect your mental health. It affects the eye, especially when stress becomes a long-term condition.

At first, these stress-related visual issues may go unnoticed, or you may think they are unrelated. But as stress becomes chronic, it increases the risk for chronic eye conditions as well as a host of other conditions that impact your health and quality of life.

Let’s take a look at some of them related to the eyes: 

• Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSC): This is an eye condition where fluid builds up under the retina (particularly the macula), which is responsible for sharp, central vision. This fluid leakage comes from a layer beneath the retina called the choroid and creates a small detachment in the retina that distorts vision. While the exact cause of CSCR is unknown, research has shown that stress and elevated cortisol levels are risk factors.

• Blepharospasm: This is a neurological condition characterised by involuntary repetitive twitching or contraction of the eyelid muscles. It affects both eyes and starts mildly before progressing to more forceful and frequent closures. Apart from genetics and underlying health conditions, one of the risk factors of Blepharospasm is stress and fatigue.

Some other chronic eye conditions that may worsen by stress include age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Long-term stress also worsens autoimmune eye conditions like optic neuritis, uveitis or thyroid eye disease. Chronic stress-related vision issues show that no part of the body is safe from the systemic effects of stress.

Diagnosing Vision Changes: Considering Stress as a Factor

In diagnosis, we often start with the obvious to the not-so-obvious risk factors before exploring less visible contributors. Stress is often overlooked, but it is a very silent risk factor.

The truth is, most people are already accustomed to unknowingly or knowing, operating in a constant state of heightened stress. Heightened stress should not be a normal part of our lives because it is a significant and underrecognized risk factor for many eye and health conditions.

Its association with many eye conditions calls for a more proactive measure in diagnosing vision changes. When a patient presents with an eye condition, it’s important to consider stress as a factor, especially when there are no obvious abnormalities in the structure of the eye.

Ask about visual symptoms of stress as blurriness, flashes, floaters, and blind spots.

Practical Stress Management For Better Vision: Relaxation and Sleep

Sleep and relaxation are at the top of the essential tool list for maintaining overall health and well-being. After every long day of looking at screens, focusing on near and far objects, dust and debris, the easiest way to relax the eye is to sleep and get some rest.

Sleeping is not just about closing your eyes. During sleep, your eyes undergo essential repair processes; the tear film is replenished, corneal cells regenerate, and intraocular pressure stabilises. Deep sleep (REM stage) also allows the optic nerve and visual cortex to recover from daily strain. Without adequate sleep, tear production drops, leading to dryness, blurred vision and irritation.

Relaxation techniques like deep breathing and meditation activate the parasympathetic nervous system (known as the rest and digest system), which improves blood flow to the eyes, reduces muscle tension and lowers cortisol.

All these help relieve eye fatigue and support clearer vision.

When Vision Changes Need Medical Attention: Important Signs

Not all vision changes are temporary, and chronic eye conditions affect overall quality of life. Some eye conditions signify underlying health conditions. Knowing when to seek professional help can help you mitigate eye issues.

Watch out for these symptoms:

• Sudden vision loss in one or both eyes;
• Brief flashes of light;
• Hard time seeing in low light;
• Eye pain or redness;
• Severe headache and nausea;
• Double vision;
• Loss of side vision (peripheral vision);
• Seeing colored circles around light.

Stress can indeed contribute to visual problems, but it is important not to self-diagnose. It is important to schedule an eye doctor appointment to rule out underlying conditions and receive proper care.

A comprehensive eye exam and medical evaluation help ensure accurate diagnosis and timely treatment.

Managing Stress to Protect Eyes and Clarity

Your eyes are not just windows to the world; they are mirrors of your internal health.

Stress may be unavoidable sometimes, but chronic stress must be curtailed as much as possible. Simple practices like deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, regular sleep, and screen breaks are non-medical treatments for stress-related vision problems.

In some cases, vision therapy may help retrain the eye for those experiencing stress-related visual disturbances, if needed. Remember to consult your eye doctor or medical provider if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.

While reducing stress and getting enough sleep are key to protecting your eyes, targeted nutritional support can also make a big difference—especially if your eyes are strained daily. That’s where Restore Vision comes in.

If you are looking to further promote the health of your eyes, then check out our vision formula designed to nourish your eyes every day. Restore Vision is a unique solution that provides nutritional support for tired eyes that work all day long. Its unique combination of carotenoids, berries, and alpha-lipoic acid works to support your eye health as you deal with everyday stressors, and promotes comfort along with supporting clear, focused vision.

Click here to learn more about Restore Vision and see how it can help you enjoy the world with clarity, ease, and confidence, as its 7 multi-purpose ingredients work harmoniously to support sharp and vibrant vision.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you feel when your bad cholesterol is high?

When your bad cholesterol (LDL) is high, you usually don’t feel any symptoms, but over time, it can silently lead to the buildup of fatty deposits in the blood vessels of the retina, leading to conditions like retinal vein occlusion.

Can fatigue cause blurry vision?

Yes, fatigue-especially from lack of sleep or prolonged screen use can contribute to blurry vision. When your eyes are overworked or your body is exhausted, blinking frequency decreases and our tear production slows, leading to dry, irritated eyes and reduced visual clarity. Mental fatigue can also affect how your brain processes visual information, making some things appear out of focus even if your eyes are otherwise healthy.

What are eye stroke symptoms?

Eye stroke or retinal artery occlusion is a medical emergency that presents as sudden, painless vision loss in one eye, blurred or dim vision, tunnel vision, and visual distortions.

References

1. Mental stress as consequence and cause of vision loss: the dawn of psychosomatic ophthalmology for preventive and personalized medicine
2. The prevalence of anxiety symptoms and disorders among ophthalmic disease patients
3. Impact of Physiological and Psychological Stress on Glaucoma Development and Progression: A Narrative Review
4. Physiology, Stress Reaction
5. Digital Eye Strain- A Comprehensive Review
6. Digital eye strain: prevalence, measurement and amelioration
7. Dry Eye Para-Inflammation Management: Preclinical and Clinical Evidence on a Novel 0.2% Hyaluronic Acid-Based Tear Substitute with 0.001% Hydrocortisone Sodium Phosphate
8. Over The Counter Artificial Tear Drop For Dry Eye Syndrome 
9. Pathophysiology of Migraine
10. Understanding Migraine Through The Lens of Maladaptive Stress Responses: A Model Disease of Allostatic Load
11. What Are Panic Attacks
12. Panic Disorders
13. Blinded by Stress: A Patient and Physician Perspective on Central Serous Chorioretinopathy
14. Benign Essential Blepharospasm
15. The Role of Oxidative Stress in The Pathogenesis of Age-related Macular Degeneration
16. Oxidative Stress- Related Mechanisms And Antioxidant Therapy in Diabetic Retinopathy