How stress can affect your eyes and ears

Almost everyone experiences stress at some point in their life, and now more than ever, stress has understandably become more prevalent in everyone’s day to day. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone: stress is behind 40% of all days off work in the UK. So to help raise awareness of the condition, we’re focusing on some of the less well-known effects of stress: the impact on your eyes and ears.

Stress and your vision

We all know stress can lead to high blood pressure, but did you know that an optometrist can see signs of high blood pressure simply by looking at the back of your eyes? That’s because the eyes are the only part of the body where small blood vessels – capillaries – are directly visible. This means we can see if the vessels have become thickened, narrowed or even burst. If we detect any of these signs, you’ll be referred to your GP for precautionary general health and blood pressure assessments.

If left undetected and untreated, high blood pressure can potentially lead to blurred vision or floaters (tiny spots that float across your vision). Other symptoms of stress and the eyes include strain, soreness or twitching of the eye lids.

Stress-related eye conditions can be temporary. But if you have any on-going concerns about your vision, they might be related to other health and eye conditions. If you notice any changes with your eyes, get in touch with Leightons’ friendly eye specialists. We’re here to provide you with the eye care you need.

At Leightons, we don’t stop at standard. We’re dedicated to bringing you the most thorough ways of testing your vision and the health of your eyes, to help detect eye conditions sooner. For the best possible eye care, we highly recommend our Ultimate Eye Examination.

Stress and your hearing

Prolonged stress can directly affect your ear health, causing conditions like hearing loss and tinnitus. As with your eyes, decreased circulation can also affect your ears, and chronic stress plays a big part in slowing blood flow.

When you’re stressed, the extra adrenaline can decrease or stop circulation in the inner ear, damaging or even destroying the essential tiny hair cells inside your ear. This can cause gradual hearing loss over time, or even sudden hearing loss if circulation stops completely. If your hearing loss is a reaction to stress then it's often reversible: first cut out the stress for improved circulation (easier said than done – but take a look at this handy NHS stress buster guide for some starting points) and then even consider rehabilitation of your hair cells through sound therapy.

If you’re concerned about stress-induced hearing loss then look out for symptoms such as blocked ears, an inability to hear sounds at certain frequencies, a sensation of pressure in your ears, loss of hearing in one or both of your ears, sounds seeming more distant than usual, or tinnitus.

More on tinnitus

Tinnitus is common, affecting approximately one in ten UK adults. It’s often described as a ‘ringing in the ears’ or clicking, roaring, hissing or buzzing, while some people hear music-like sounds.

Despite being a highly frustrating and distracting condition, tinnitus isn’t yet fully understood, but stress is one of the main aggravators. There are successful treatments to help you manage the condition. Several hearing aids now include a range of effective tinnitus relief features, and many people find a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy and sound enrichment therapy can help them manage their tinnitus. Again, reducing your stress levels is the best way to reduce stress-related tinnitus symptoms.

Don’t stress, get in touch

Whether you need a Leightons Ultimate Eye Examination. or a Free Tinnitus Consultation, we're here to help. You can book an appointment online or call us on 0800 40 20 20. We are open by appointment, with the safety of you and our practice teams as our top priority.

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Are contact lenses and glasses prescriptions the same?
Are contact lenses and glasses prescriptions the same?
While both glasses and contact lenses do the same job in correcting your eyesight, there are some obvious differences in how each is worn. Glasses rest on the nose and are positioned away from the eyes, whereas contact lenses are in direct contact with your eyeball. These differences are the fundamental reasons why contact lenses and glasses prescriptions are absolutely not the same. In this article, we’ll explain why in more detail. Contact lens vs glasses prescription – what’s the difference? Quite simply, the lenses in your glasses will be very different to your contact lenses. That’s because each type of lens refracts light differently and therefore during an eye test, different measurements have to be made. The measurements from one eye test are not compatible with the other. So, is the prescription for contacts the same as glasses? The answer is NO because you need to have 2 separate eye tests, which will result in 2 different prescriptions. 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Different corneal curves will need different base curve lenses, although with modern more flexible contact lens materials, there is some lea way in this. What does Diameter (DIA) mean? This measurement refers to the Diameter (DIA) of the contact lens itself and corresponds with the size of your cornea. It is the measurement from one edge of the lens to the other and is measured in millimetres. What does Power/Sphere (PWR/SPH) mean? The term Power (PWR) together with Sphere (SPH) refers to the strength of the lens. For long-sightedness this figure will show a plus sign (+) and for short-sightedness, it will begin with a minus sign (-). Other contact lens prescription figures People who have an eye defect such as astigmatism, will need to wear toric lenses and therefore will see additional words or abbreviations on their prescription. The same applies to people who might have presbyopia or short-sightedness, and have a prescription for varifocal or multifocal contact lenses. 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After your initial assessment and test, you will then need to have a contact lens fitting. Your optician will demonstrate how to safely insert and remove your lenses and how to care for them. Finally, you will receive your free written contact lens prescription. You can buy your contact lenses from the optician that carried out your eye test or you can buy them from another optician or an online supplier. Contact lenses need to be reviewed more frequently You should be aware that your eyesight can change over time so it’s important you get your eyes retested at least every 2 years. If you notice any changes in your vision at any time before that period then contact your optician for a check-up. Book a contact lens consultation today.
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