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Does Anxiety Cause Blurred Vision?

Does anxiety lead to blurred vision?

Experts define blurred vision as the absence of sharpness and focus in your eye that negatively affects the ability to see things.  Blurred vision can be linked with short-sightedness or farsightedness. Your doctor will recommend corrective lenses to improve blurred vision. It would help to know that the eye condition can be caused by other health conditions that have no association with your eyes.

Studies show that anxiety does not commonly lead to blurred vision, but there are several relationships between the two conditions. It is important to know what happens in the body when you experience anxiety and how it is related to blurred vision.

Anxiety triggers a response called the flight, freeze, or flight response. When the response is triggered your body will experience several physiologic adjustments caused by the production of two major stress hormones: Cortisol [1] and Adrenaline [2]. When the stress hormones are released you will change your blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing.

In most cases, Anxiety makes your vision sharper and not blurrier. This is because stress hormones enhance your vision to make you aware of any immediate danger. However, some people experience blurred vision when anxious due to various reasons. When the flight response is triggered, your heart rate increases, your blood pressure elevates, and you begin to move faster to identify any danger. When you start moving faster than normal, it becomes hard to focus on objects. The lack of ability to focus may lead to the mirage of blurred vision. According to studies, anxiety can also lead to dry eyes.

Blurred vision is commonly caused by dry eyes, so it is not a surprise that anxiety may also lead to blurry vision. It would help to know that blurred vision is more common in people with chronic anxiety and stress. It is rarely seen in people with acute anxiety. Other symptoms of anxiety may indirectly result in vision changes.

In some cases, you may experience problems providing for your needs such as consuming enough food and drinking sufficient water. If you cannot provide basic needs for yourself, it may result in dehydration, which is another major cause of blurred vision.  People with anxiety disorders like chronic anxiety may also experience other severe health problems that can affect vision.

For instance, certain changes such as an increase in high blood pressure can result in a condition known as hypertensive retinopathy. Retinopathy [3] and other severe medical problems linked with anxiety can lead to blurry vision. There are several connections between anxiety and blurred vision, but experts say it is rare for anxiety to be the major cause of blurry vision.

In a study from 2018, scientists studied the relationship between mental stress and vision loss. They reviewed the available studies on the relationship between the two conditions. They studied the effect of stress on visual acuity and if visual diseases can worsen mental stress. The study showed that higher levels of anxiety increased the susceptibility to conditions such as dry eye syndrome, and glaucoma [4] which can lead to blurred vision.  According to scientists, the effect of these conditions on eyesight may be due to the impact of stress on the vascular system.

In addition, you may experience blurred vision due to anxiety, but there is no scientific proof to validate the connection. Therefore, more research needs to be done.