Stress is becoming a common factor among this generation of people everyone knows that stress could affect routines like sleep and other activities and in health, it can also have an effect on skin and digestion but have you ever imagined that stress can also influence eye health. If not, this is the time to unlock those hidden mysteries that contribute to stress in your eye health. Mostly stress will be for a short time and in some cases it is on a regular basis these stresses will make temporary changes in the body but when it comes to eye health it’s going to have a greater impact especially when you are already having eye conditions like glaucoma or ocular surface diseases like dry rye.
What is the connection between stress and the eye?
Even though the link between eye and stress is not fully studied, several studies have revealed that when a person is fully stressed to protect the body it will produce some sort of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones will quickly respond to the perceiving threats which is also known as a fight or flight reaction. Unfortunately, the adrenaline will cause the pupil to dilate this is where eye health will get influenced. If the hormone level is high it may lead to some of the eye conditions mentioned below,
- While you are getting stressed the eye pressure will be increased if it is for the shorter term it is not harmful but if the condition persists these changes may bring about optic nerve damage which is a common cause of glaucoma development. Specifically, if you are having primary open-angle glaucoma that is optic nerve damage is going to double. Remember glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60 which means regular eye checkups become vital as you are getting old.
- While you are being stressed or anxious you would have noticed sensitivity to bright lights than usual this is simply known as photophobia. Most commonly it is a sign of stress but at the same time, light sensitivity can also be a signal of underlying serious eye conditions.
- Anxiety is not just a problem with psychology research has shown that long-term anxiety will speed up the progression rate of glaucoma. According to the studies, chronic stresses and anxiety will make the optic nerve cells sensitive and this is how they are becoming more vulnerable for the damage. The increased level of stress also affects sleep exacerbating the development of glaucoma or making the progression worsen.
- In some cases, the patient will start overthinking about the progression rate of glaucoma and it will create psychological stress that influences the ocular health additionally.
- As the stress increases the impact of them over the sleep will also increase. People with insomnia mostly have a lesser sleep when there is no adequate sleep the body will lose the auto repair capacity intraocular pressure will also speed up which could also become a reason for the development of glaucoma.
- While people are being stressed unbalanced lifestyle will be carried out like becoming addicted to smoking, reduction in physical activity, unhealthy diet, alcohol consumption, and others. In this case, the eye health becomes damaged. With the increased nicotine level and alcohol levels in the blood, the pressure on the optic nerve will get boosted up which may damage the optic nerve and lead to glaucoma.
Take an ophthalmologist consultation
There are several eye hospitals in the city, among them prefer the best eye hospital like The Eye Foundation. They could give hands on overcoming your eye problems and also assist in reducing your stress level. Handle things with patience and lead a happy life.
Get the best care for your eye with us. Schedule your appointment today for expert and personalized treatment.
