A Lack of Shut-Eye Can Affect Your Vision

Feeling sleepy? You’re not alone. A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study finds that more than 40 million American workers get fewer than six hours of sleep per night. That’s not good, because the amount of sleep you get each night has a huge impact on your overall health - including the health of your eyes.

Woman Sleeping

“The negative impact of chronic sleep deprivation goes far beyond dark circles under your eyes,” says Sandy T. Feldman MD, one of the nation’s top eye experts. “Studies show that the eye needs at least five hours of sleep per night to properly replenish. Short of that, the eyes simply can’t work at their full potential.”

Common side effects of lack of sleep include:

• Eye spasms are involuntary eye twitches that are harmless but can be very annoying.
• Popped blood vessels in the eye can be caused by a chronic lack of sleep.

• Dry eye is a condition when tears do not adequately lubricate your eyes. When dry eye sets in, it can cause some pain, light sensitivity, itching, redness or even blurred vision.
• Ischemic optic neuropathy is caused by damage in the optic nerve due to a poor blood flow. It can cause you to experience a sharp pain in one or both eyes, and it can make it difficult to see clearly.
• Glaucoma is a risk for people with sleep apnea, a condition that causes sporadic interruptions in breathing during sleep. The lack of oxygen caused by sleep apnea has been linked to the development of glaucoma.

“So many people are seeking ways to get more sleep these days, it’s become something of a cottage industry,” says Dr. Feldman. “I encourage my patients to try good old-fashioned home remedies. Drinking chamomile tea right before bed. Reading a book, especially a boring one! And avoiding social media, sugar and caffeine for few hours before bed.”

Sandy Feldman MD, Medical Director of Clearview Eye & Laser Medical Center in San Diego.

I can arrange an interview with Dr. Feldman to discuss sleep and the eyes or any other eye-related topic. Contact Diana Soltesz at Diana@dsmmedia.com or 818-618-5634.

Sandy T. Feldman, MD is the Medical Director of Clearview Eye & Laser Medical Center - voted best LASIK center in San Diego by the San Diego Union Tribune (2016 and 2017) and CityBeat Magazine two years in a row. Her numerous awards include “Top Doc San Diego” and the Goldline Award, an honor granted to only 10 laser eye care providers in the U.S. each year. She has also been profiled in Forbes, Newsweek, and other respected publications. Dr. Feldman is a fellow of the prestigious American College of Ophthalmic Surgeons, as well as a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. She has successfully performed more than 20,000 refractive procedures. For more information, visit clearvieweyes.com.