Stress can affect our sight and hearing in a number of ways. Here’s what to look out for and how to keep your symptoms under control.
Stress can get the better of all of us from time to time – particularly over the last year or so.
While we often talk about the impact stress has on our mental health, the toll it takes on our physical health can be overlooked. Here, we take a look at the ways stress can impact your sight and hearing.
It could result in blurred vision
Blurriness is one of the more common side effects of stress. Giles Edmonds, Specsavers clinical services director, explains: ‘When we’re stressed, our pupils tend to dilate to allow more light to enter our eye, which helps to let us see potential threats more clearly. However, with stress comes high levels of adrenaline as our fight or flight mode kicks in. This can cause pressure on the eyes and sometimes results in blurred vision.’
While blurriness can be worrying, it’s not often a serious cause for concern. There is a chance it could develop into an ocular migraine, but again this isn’t a reason to worry. Although you should rest until the symptoms subside. If the blurriness is longer term and is causing headaches, you may need glasses or to upgrade your prescription, so book into your local Specsavers so one of our experts can take a look.
It may cause eye twitching
Eye twitching is another common sign of stress. Edmonds says: ‘This movement in the eyelid occurs through the continuous contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle. Although harmless, it can be uncomfortable and annoying. However the sensation usually doesn’t last long and tends to resolve itself.’
How you can help protect your vision from stress
Exercise and the outdoors are both great for your mental and physical health[1] and can help to reduce stress. It’s also important to make sure you’re getting enough sleep to allow your body, mind and eyes to rest and recover.
If you’re working and your vision is blurring, the best thing to do is have a screen break. Use the 20/20/20 rule – every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet (six meters) away for 20 seconds. This gives your eyes time to rest and recharge. Also try to step out into the fresh air for a moment, taking a walk if you have the time.
It may worsen tinnitus
It’s not just our vision that can be impacted by stress, but some of our other senses too – hearing included.
If you experience tinnitus it can be worsened by stress[2]. This condition causes you to perceive noises coming from inside your ears, even when there are no sounds around you. While it can sound different to each person, it’s often described it as a ringing sound in the ear.
How you can help protect your hearing from stress
Relaxation techniques like mindfulness, deep breathing and physical exercise may help to reduce stress levels. Sound therapy – the use of external source of noise to distract from or mask the tinnitus sounds – can also be useful. You can learn more about different tinnitus treatments here.
If you’d like more advice on how to protect your vision and hearing from stress, or you’d like to book an eye or hearing test, just get in touch with your local Specsavers store.
If you’re struggling to cope with the effects of stress, reach out to a mental health charity, which can provide guidance and support.
