A night of heavy drinking may cause you to develop a pair of the dreaded “beer goggles,” but drinking large amounts of alcohol over a long period of time can damage a number of body parts, your eyes included. As a result, many individuals with a lifetime of alcohol abuse and addiction experience eye health problems.

Alcohol directly affects the brain, which is why drinking too much of it leads to neurological disruptions ranging from trouble walking to slurred speech. Alcohol can also weaken the muscles in your eyes and can permanently impair the optic nerves that carry information from the eyes to the brain. As a result, a lifetime of alcohol abuse can lead to rapid eye movement, or involuntary back and forth eye movement. In addition, permanent loss of vision or blindness as a result of a lifetime of alcohol abuse is also possible and known as toxic amblyopia, The Independent reported.

Read: 5 Majors Organs That Are Being Destroyed By Your Alcohol Consumption

In addition to damaging the optic nerve, alcohol can slow down the communication between the eyes and brain, which results in distorted or double vision. Alcohol can decrease the reaction time of your pupils. This can not only affect their ability to constrict or dilate in different lighting, but also impairs individual's ability to see different color shades, The Independent reported.

Perhaps the most characteristic eye problem caused by excessive drinking is the bloodshot red eyes of lifelong drinkers. Heavy drinkers often have this physical trait because alcohol swells the blood vessels in the eye, making them seem larger and in turn making the eyes look redder. Lastly, migraines caused by sensitivity to light is also a common eye problem found among heavy longer-term drinkers.

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