Effects of Long-term Sleeplessness on Eyes

[Miss Shadows]

I'm in no way seeking or accepting medical opinions/advice on here first of all, but I'm wondering if anyone who's had insomnia might have good input. My eyes are pretty terrible for reading as it is, I can't read more than maybe 2 pages without needing my glasses, but I've been having sleep issues lately and it seems like my eye sight is also suffering. I've gotten about 18-20 hours over the past week, and today looking at an inventory clipboard for 30 seconds with my glasses on, I realized I was having trouble just making out all the numbers and letters. Can anyone say just from personal experience if they've ever had sleep issues get to their eyes like that?

[libstaK]

All the time if I am over-tired. I am short sighted enough to need glasses but not enough to need them when viewing advertising and subtitles on the tube about 3 metres away, unless I am tired or sleep deprived, then it is all a blur and I need my glasses on.

It improves once rested but I think the strain is making my eyesight worse over time but by tiny increments, I seem to upgrade my lenses every 7-8 years and only a little at a time.

[Ealdwita]

Blurred vision is a well-known result of having too little sleep.

[Bonecrusher]

I've certaintly had sleep issues recently but not to the extent where I've had problems with my eyes.

However I do have bags underneath them and do sporadically suffer from headaches.

It takes me a while to settle and not even the tantalising prospect of counting sheep gets it done.

But I'm no insomniac and I do get more than your quota of 18-20 hours a day.

It's funny you should mention eyesight but I'm pretty much near-sighted now you mention it.

I shouldn't be looking at small screens in my condition which partially explains my headaches.

I've cut down on my book reading but I'm seeing a specialist to check the extent of my eye damage.

Tbh it would be better if I took some sleeping pills because it will do me the power of good.

My sleep management is all over the place and has been commented by more than a few people.

Edited January 2, 2013 by Medium Brown

[Lcvec]

Yep, that's exactly what it's like to me when I don't get enough sleep, specially because my eyesight is terrible. I notice it gets a lot worse though, you have to really focus when reading something, and a few seconds later it's back to blurry. Not sure there's much you can do about that, apart from actually sleeping.

[AsteroidX]

yes.

[Bonecrusher]

Yep, that's exactly what it's like to me when I don't get enough sleep, specially because my eyesight is terrible. I notice it gets a lot worse though, you have to really focus when reading something, and a few seconds later it's back to blurry. Not sure there's much you can do about that, apart from actually sleeping.

Sleep is such a difficult process nowadays because I'm always on tenterhooks.

It's a worrying sign when you can't remember your dreams when the REM hasn't even kicked in.

But my dreams are not nearly enough lucid enough to see even the smallest detail.

Tbh my eyesight isn't as bad as all that because I have no great difficulty reading books.

But my headaches are trying to tell me something but I just ignore it and take some aspirin.

It's called burying your head in the sand and if I don't do anything the words will become a blur.

[Ashotep]

Lack of sleep can have a negative effect on you in all sorts of ways. Staring at a computer screen for too long can get to your eyes after a while even if you have had enough sleep.

[Bonecrusher]

Lack of sleep can have a negative effect on you in all sorts of ways. Staring at a computer screen for too long can get to your eyes after a while even if you have had enough sleep.

What about those guys who just do the Internet on their smart phone or I-Phone?

I can imagine them having many restless nights.

[Sean93]

I'v got a bad sleeping problem that comes and goes and over the years, I've hallucinated a big bee on my bed, a spider with a mans face, a floating black handkerchief, a whirlpool thing on the floor, I've seen a random exploding blurelight and I heard babies cry through the house; and I even saw myself standing at the end of the room, it's all sleep deprivation and stress. I ain't even mad...

Every now and again, I see these weird lights that pop in and out of my vision, they're usually blue. My eyes have also gotten somewhat blurry (sometimes goes away) and I sometimes see rainbow colored aura around objects that bounces. Also, when someone makes a loud noise like a cough or shout, my eyes react to it and my vision 'jumps' although this happens only when I'm tired.

No I am not on drugs either!

Edited January 10, 2013 by Sean93