Kadrmas Eye Care New England
  • Doctors
    • Eddie Kadrmas, MD
    • Richard Strecker, MD
    • Daniel J. Townsend, MD
    • Aimee Gray, OD
    • Ashley Sousa, OD
  • Patients
    • CV-19 Statement
    • Eye Conditions >
      • Cataracts
      • Common Eye Problems >
        • Allergies
        • Amblyopia
        • Astigmatism
        • Blepharitis
        • Chalazion / Stye
        • Conjunctivitis
        • Corneal Abrasion
        • Floaters & Flashes
        • Hyperopia / Farsightedness
        • Myopia / Nearsightedness
        • Presbyopia
        • Strabismus
      • Corneal Diseases & Disorders >
        • Corneal Ulcers
        • Fuchs’ Dystrophy
        • Herpes Zoster / Shingles
        • Keratitis
        • Keratoconus
        • Pterygium
      • Diabetic Eye Disease
      • Dry Eye Syndrome
      • Eyelid Diseases & Disorders >
        • Dermatochalasis
        • Ectropion
        • Entropion
        • Eyelid Lesion
        • Ptosis
        • Tear Duct Obstruction
        • Tumor
      • Eye Trauma / Injury >
        • Blunt Trauma
        • Chemical Injury
        • Penetrating / Perforating Injury
      • Glaucoma >
        • Open Angle Glaucoma >
          • iStent
        • Narrow Angle Glaucoma
        • Neovascular Glaucoma
        • Inflammatory Glaucoma
      • Macular Diseases & Disorders >
        • Macular Degeneration
        • Macular Hole
        • Macular Pucker
      • Neurological Eye Diseases >
        • Blepharospasm
        • Double Vision
        • Ischemic Optic Neuropathy
        • Stroke / Visual Field Defect
        • Temporal Arteritis
      • Retinal Diseases & Disorders >
        • Retinal Tears & Detachments
        • Retinal Vascular Diseases
      • Uveitis & Iritis
    • Resources >
      • Eye Health & Care Blog
      • Retina Digest
    • Videos >
      • Eye Anatomy
      • Cataract
      • Laser Cataract Surgery
      • Children's Vision
      • Common Eye Problems
      • Corneal Conditions
      • Diabetic Eye Disease
      • Dry Eye Syndrome
      • Glaucoma
      • Laser & Refractive Eye Surgery
      • LASIK Over 45
      • LASIK Under 45
      • Macular Degeneration
      • Plastic Eye Surgery
      • Retinal Conditions
      • Refractive Errors
      • Routine Eye Exams
    • Forms & Policies >
      • New Patient Forms
      • HIPAA Policy
      • Referral Forms
    • Financial Information
  • Services
    • Routine Eye Exams >
      • Children
      • Adults
    • Hearing Therapy
    • Specialized Eye Exams >
      • Dilated Eye Exam / Slit Lamp Examination
      • Fluorescein Angiogram
      • Indocyanine Green Angiogram
      • Nerve Fiber Analysis
      • Optical Coherence Tomography
      • Refraction
      • Tonometry
      • Visual Acuity Testing
      • Visual Field Testing
    • Medical, Injection & Surgical / Laser Eye Care
    • Contact Lenses >
      • Contact Lens Types
      • Contact Lens Care & Safety
    • Refractive Eye Surgery >
      • LASIK Eye Surgery
      • PRK
      • Clear Lens Extraction
      • Implantable Collamer Lenses
    • Oculoplastic Surgery & Cosmetic Procedures >
      • Blepharoplasty
      • BOTOX®
      • Restylane®
  • Locations
    • Plymouth
    • Wareham
    • Mashpee
    • Surgery Centers
  • About
    • News
    • Affiliations
    • Patient Reviews
  • Careers
  • Contact
To Schedule Your Eye Appointment, Please Call 1-508-746-8600

Patient Resources - Eye Health & Care Blog

Can Stress Affect the Eyes | Stress Awareness Month

4/1/2021

 
Picture
You might know that stress does not only affect your mental wellbeing. Stress can also affect your physical health. Chronic stress can increase your risk of headaches, digestive problems, and even heart attacks. But did you know stress may also affect your eyes?

April is Stress Awareness Month, and many of us can benefit from learning how to combat stress and protect our health. 
​

Does stress lead to eye problems? 

It is possible for stress to play a role in eye problems. But first, it is helpful to understand the stress response.

When you become stressed, your body’s fight or flight response is activated. This causes an increase in certain hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol.

The fight or flight response is helpful if you’re in physical danger. The release of adrenaline and cortisol helps the body prepare to fight the perceived danger or flee. The heart rate and breathing increase. The muscles tense and get ready for action.

The problem is not all stress presents a danger, yet our body still reacts with the release of the stress hormones. Over time, if we have chronic stress, overexposure to stress hormones can lead to health problems. It can also potentially affect the eyes. High levels of cortisol and adrenaline may affect the blood flow between the brain and the eyes, increasing the risk of eye diseases. 
​

Potential eye issues related to stress

If you have chronic stress, you might increase your risk of certain eye issues. Eye symptoms related to stress may come and go or occur frequently. The symptoms can affect one eye or both and may occur more often when stress levels are high. Possible eye issues related to stress include the following:

Eye twitching: Most of us have experienced an eye twitch or spasm from time to time. Stress can trigger eye twitches. Although an eye twitch is not dangerous, it can be annoying.

Eye strain: Eye strain can occur due to activities such as looking at a computer screen or driving long distances, but stress may also cause eye strain. Symptoms may include blurry vision, headaches, and itchy and dry eyes.

Eye floaters: Eye floaters involve small darks specs that you might see across your field of vision. Floaters often come and go, but some studies show a link between stress and the incidence of floaters.

A 2017 study in the Journal of Ophthalmology involved 61 participants that had floaters but no underlying eye disease. The study also involved 34 control subjects without eye floaters. Stress levels were assessed using a questionnaire. The results indicated that people that rated their stress higher were more likely to develop eye floaters.

Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC): CSC is a potentially serious eye condition that involves an accumulation of fluid under the retina, which can lead to vision loss. The exact cause of CSC is not known, but according to the American Society of Retina Specialists, there is a link between developing CSC and stress. One theory is that the increase in naturally occurring cortisol during times of stress may increase the condition in some people.
​

How to manage stress 

Managing stress is beneficial for your overall wellbeing, and that includes your eye health. Below are several ways to lower stress levels.

Exercise: Getting regular exercise is one of the best ways to manage chronic stress. Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. The best type of exercise is the one that you will stick to.

Practice some form of relaxation exercises: Relaxation exercises, such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing are great options.

Get enough sleep: Lack of sleep can make it more difficult to handle everyday stressors. Aim for between seven and eight hours of sleep a night.

Foster relationships: Spending time with friends and family can also help lower stress levels. Try to make time to spend with the people you care about. Also, don’t forget that spending time with your four-legged friends also lowers stress.

Seek professional help when needed: If stress levels are high and self-help tips don’t help, consider seeing a mental health professional. Seeking professional counseling is sometimes needed to get a handle on stress.

We hope the information above is helpful. If you would like to ask whether an appointment with one of our eye doctors would be appropriate at this time, call our office at 508-746-8600. 


Comments are closed.

    EYE HEALTH BLOG


    CLICK HERE to sign up for our eye health / care newsletter and have it delivered automatically to your inbox each month!

    Categories

    All
    AMD
    Astigmatism
    Cataract
    Children's Eye Health
    Color Blindness
    Conjunctivitis
    Contact Lens
    Cornea
    Cosmetic Eye Surgery
    Covid 19
    Diabetic Eye Disease
    Driving
    Dry Eyes
    Eye Allergies
    Eye Cancer
    Eye Exam
    Eye Health & Safety
    Eye Infections
    Eye Strain
    Glaucoma
    Injuries
    Low Vision
    Lupus
    Macula
    Myasthenia Gravis
    Organ Donation
    Retina
    Retinopathy
    Scleritis
    Senior Eye Health
    Sports
    Stroke
    Stye
    Uvea
    Vision Correction
    Vision Loss
    Women's Eye Health

    RSS Feed


    Picture

Kadrmas Eye Care New England

55 Commerce Way, Plymouth, MA 02360
14 Tobey Road, Wareham, MA 02571
133 Falmouth Road (Rt 28), Mashpee, MA 02649
Phone Number:
​1-508-746-8600

Hours:
Monday through Friday - 
8 AM - 4:30 PM 
© 2015-2021 Kadrmas Eye Care New England • All Rights Reserved
KadrmasEyeCare.com Privacy Policy • Disclaimer of Medical Liability
Proudly powered by Weebly
Design by DivTag Templates