by Dan Roberts, MDF Director of Resources

Mindfulness means being fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reacting or becoming overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. A 2018 study conjectured that relief of chronic stress might be an effective treatment for vision loss. Practicing mindfulness, therefore, may be important to our clinical and home care.

The authors of the study wrote: “The loss of vision after damage to the retina, optic nerve, or brain has often grave consequences in everyday life such as problems with recognizing faces, reading, or mobility. Because vision loss is considered to be irreversible and often progressive, patients experience continuous mental stress due to worries, anxiety, or such as depression and social isolation. While prolonged mental stress is clearly a consequence of vision loss, it may also aggravate the situation. In fact, continuous stress and elevated cortisol levels negatively impact the eye and brain due to autonomous nervous system (sympathetic) imbalance and vascular dysregulation; hence stress may also be one of the major causes of visual system diseases such as glaucoma and optic neuropathy.”

After reviewing recent research, the authors concluded that “stress is both the consequence and cause of vision loss. This creates a vicious cycle of a downward spiral, in which initial vision loss creates stress which further accelerates vision loss, creating even more stress and so forth.”

Doctors and patients, therefore, should be aware of the benefits of stress reduction and relaxation techniques for visual health.