Posted by: Eye Health Northwest in General Eye Health on November 18, 2013
Have you ever experienced an irritating eye twitch that just won’t seem to end? How about dry eyes or blurred vision? Have you ever thought that these issues could be caused by stress? It’s true, our eyes are an extension of our brain so whatever affects the various parts of our brain can actually interfere with our vision.
Eye Twitching
Possibly the only thing more irritating than an itch you can’t scratch is involuntary eye twitching, or myokymia, which is a feeling that many of us are familiar with. Stress is actually one of the leading factors of involuntary eye twitches. Some other causes of myokymia include spending too much time on a computer and insufficient amounts of sleep. The condition itself is usually temporary, but persistent eye twitching may be a sign of a serious genetic disorder, which should be addressed by your eye doctor.
Dry Eyes
When our body experiences heightened levels of stress, it naturally increased and thickens blood flow to protect us from injury. In turn, the heart has to work even harder than usual and blood circulation to the extremities in our bodies, such as our skin, brain, and eyes, is decreased. This causes eyes to become dry and irritated.
Blurred Vision
Stress can also cause blurred vision and, ironically, experiencing a vision problem can create more stress. Stress affects your body in many ways, so blurry vision may be a secondary symptom. Sometimes stress causes your body to react as though its facing something dangerous and, as a result, your pupils dilate. This allows more light to enter the eye to help you better assess the situation, but too much light can actually cause poor vision – hence the blurriness.
Even though these eye conditions caused by stress can prove to be disruptive and irritating, they can be controlled with exercise, a healthy diet, and stress reduction techniques such as meditating and deep breathing. If your symptoms persist, be sure to visit your eye doctor to determine whether there may be an underlying cause for their occurrence.
