How Is Sleep Related to Eye Health?

Sleep is critical to your well-being. Good sleep leaves you in a good mood and helps your memory. It also gives you good metabolism. Beyond that, it also affects the health of your eyes. How does sleep do this? 

The Effects of Sleep on Your Eyes

Like your body and brain, your eyes heal and rejuvenate as you sleep. The lack of sleep causes them to become bloodshot and puffy. It also leaves dark circles around them and causes other complications. Which complications could result from sleep deprivation?

Dry Eyes

Blue light from your computer and your phone can affect your sleep patterns. When you do not get enough sleep, your eyes do not rejuvenate, and they lose their ability to produce tears. The lack of enough quantity of tears results in dry eyes. Blue light can also affect the number of times you blink. Blinking helps refresh your eyes, bathing them in tears. It also cleanses and soothes them. When you blink less, your eyes dry up.

To avoid dry eyes, stop using your gadgets for an hour or two before sleeping. It gives your brain the signal that it is time to produce melatonin. Afterward, you can get into your soothing ritual and ensure a good night’s sleep.

Eye Infections

Lack of sleep resulting in dry eyes can lead to eye infections. It does this by causing irritation and rubbing of the eyes. As you rub your eyes, you can unwittingly hurt your cornea. Corneal abrasion opens the door for bacteria to cause eye infections. These can wreak havoc on your life, and you may have to take time off your daily activities.

Infections can also compromise your vision. They can cause blurry vision or blindness if you do not take the proper measure. Seek medical intervention if you realize you are not lacking sleep and have eye infections.

Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

Lack of sleep for an extended period can result in poor blood flow to the optic nerve. It causes the optic nerve to lose function and structure. Hence, you will have problems with your visual field and acuity. The condition can be painless and develop over hours to days. But sometimes, you may experience sharp pain in one or both eyes.

There is no recognized treatment. However, you still need to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Optic nerve decompression can be beneficial. It may also help mitigate gradual vision decline.

Glaucoma

Research shows that lack of enough sleep can also result in glaucoma. The link is through sleep apnea, a condition that causes sporadic breathing interruptions when you are asleep. The lack of oxygen causes complications that may damage the optic nerve and result in glaucoma. You may notice patchy blind spots gradually forming in your side or peripheral vision. It may also result in eye pain, severe headaches, halos, and redness.

Seek immediate medical attention when you notice these symptoms. Otherwise, they could result in vision loss.

For more information on the relationship between sleep and eye health, visit Berris Optical at our Rocky River, Ohio office. Call (440) 571-7100 to schedule an appointment today.