07 Jun How Anxiety Affects Your Vision

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, anxiety affects one in three women and one in five men. But did you know there’s a link between anxiety and vision problems?

Justine Shaw, senior vision therapist explains that elevated adrenaline levels put pressure on the eyes, resulting in blurred vision and irregularities like seeing stars, shadows or flashing spots.

People with anxiety can sometimes see ‘things’ out of the corner of their eye that aren’t there, or experience diminished peripheral vision or tunnel-like sight. When the two eyes don’t work well together (called binocular vision disorder), activities like copying from a board become difficult, causing visual fatigue, headaches and poor comprehension levels. This can lower academic performance, increasing anxiety.

Note: This article provides general health information and in no way constitutes medical advice. Ideas and information expressed may not be suitable for everyone. Readers wishing to obtain medical advice should contact their own doctor.

Image by Keilidh Ewan