At Pathways Recovery Center, we are dedicated to helping individuals understand and overcome the physical and psychological effects of alcohol addiction. Our comprehensive, compassionate care aims to restore eye health and overall physical and mental well-being. If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol addiction and experiencing symptoms like alcohol eyes, we are here to help. Please contact us to learn more about our programs and how we can support you on your journey to recovery. Alcohol is toxic to the liver, so it must work overtime to process and filter it from the body.

Treatment and Recovery: Clearing the Fog

Involuntary eye movement, also known as nystagmus, is one potential symptom of alcoholism 9. Drinking alcohol leads to the dilatation of blood vessels in the eye, which promotes blood flow 2. Plus, we’re always introducing new features to optimize your in-app experience. We recently launched our in-app chatbot, Melody, powered by the world’s most powerful AI technology. Melody is here to help as you adjust to a life with less (or no) alcohol.

Most of the time, this is effectively processed by the liver and excreted by the body as waste. When the liver isn’t operating efficiently, it becomes difficult to get rid of all of the built-up bilirubin. This can then result in bilirubin build-up throughout the body, which produces a yellowish tinge in the eyes and skin called jaundice. Whether you have been drinking for decades or only the last few years, experiencing yellow eyes is an indicator of an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. It may seem impossible to stop drinking, which is where treatment for alcoholism can make the difference. Finding a treatment center that understands your needs, focuses on your goals, and treats you like family can make all the difference in finding your success.

The only way to be certain if you are experiencing alcoholic jaundice, or if some other cause is responsible for your yellow eyes, is to be examined by a qualified medical professional. If quitting cold turkey is difficult, you might consider detoxification programs to help manage withdrawal symptoms. For advanced liver disease, a liver transplant could be necessary. This surgery replaces the damaged liver with a healthy one from a donor. The success of this procedure depends heavily on the patient’s ability to stop drinking alcohol completely before and after the transplant. The more you drink, the higher your risk is for developing any of these conditions.

• However, long term alcohol abuse increases the risk of someone developing macular deterioration and degeneration 49.
• It can also be a test to ensure that the patient is committed to their recovery, as lifelong abstinence from alcohol use is required after a person receives a transplanted liver.
• Additionally, medical teams can manage complications related to damaged blood vessels and other effects of alcohol abuse.
• However, by the time a person realizes that their drinking has harmed their liver, it may be too late to reverse the effects.
• If a person stops drinking, the effects of steatosis can be reversed.
• Cirrhosis is late-stage liver disease, which can be too late to turn back from.

We also serve adults whose struggles with addiction are accompanied by anxiety, depression, and certain other co-occurring mental health concerns. In addition to impacting the sclera (the white part of your eye) alcoholic jaundice can also cause yellowing of your skin. Seeking treatment for alcoholism is pivotal if you want to help heal your liver and even reverse the damage done by alcohol to your organs. We understand how daunting a life change like this can be, but you’re not alone.

Why Do My Eyes Turn Yellow When I Drink Alcohol?

Chronic alcohol abuse can have a dramatic impact on a person’s appearance. Possible consequences include significant weight gain, bloating, dull grey skin, bloodshot eyes, dry and thin hair, and reddening around the nose and cheeks. In addition to altering how a person looks, yellow eyes from drinking and certain other physical changes may also signal serious internal problems. The yellowing of the eyes due to jaundice indicates that the liver is not adequately processing bilirubin. This inefficiency is often a result of liver damage caused by chronic alcohol consumption. When the liver’s function is compromised, bilirubin builds up in the bloodstream, leading to its deposition in tissues, including the sclera (the white part of the eyes).

As it gets worse, so too may the appearance of a jaundiced individual. Alcohol, in moderation and consumed infrequently, is not much more of a threat to the liver than other compounds or chemicals. But when someone drinks frequently, it makes it hard to remove the alcohol from the bloodstream. If we can’t remove the poison, it will have detrimental consequences on our bodies. Left untreated, cirrhosis can lead to liver cancer and liver failure, both of which can be fatal.

Comprehensive Residential Treatment for Alcohol Addiction

It’s no wonder that anything powerful enough to affect our body and mind — like alcohol — will leave an imprint on something as sensitive as our eyes. Liver failure caused by alcohol addiction leads to gastrointestinal concerns, which may cause nausea and vomiting. Symptoms like jaundice are a result of the body’s inability to filter the blood of dangerous compounds.

The optic nerve is responsible for creating visual images, but its function is impaired if an individual drinks too much alcohol over a long period of time. This change to the eye lens occurs because of an increase in blood sugar as a direct result of alcohol consumption 29. Aside from stopping alcohol consumption, it’s essential to maintain a balanced diet and adapt dietary changes to support liver health. This six month sobriety period can allow for the liver to begin healing, which may signify that the person does not need a transplant. It can also be a test to ensure that the patient is committed to their recovery, as lifelong abstinence from alcohol use is required after a person receives a transplanted liver.

Continuing to expose the liver to alcohol will only worsen the damage, which in turn will cause more intense symptoms and more severe health effects. Finally, cirrhosis occurs if the other two stages are left untreated and alcohol consumption continues. Cirrhosis shares many of the same symptoms as alcoholic hepatitis, with some symptoms becoming more noticeable or intense. However, if you have been drinking so much (and so often) that you have incurred liver damage and yellow eyes, alcohol addiction is a very real possibility. Alcoholic jaundice eyes can cause yellowing of the eyes due to liver damage from alcohol abuse.

Over time, damage can occur in the hippocampus region of the brain. This area controls memory and is responsible for recollection and storage. When the hippocampus is damaged, the brain has no way of storing new memories or recalling the past. Alcohol-related dementia can develop, and if drinking is not stopped, it can mimic Alzheimer’s disease. At Zinnia Health, our teams guide you through the recovery process. We do this with detoxification programs and behavioral therapies designed to combat addiction.

Alcoholism and Yellow Eyes – The Connection Between Drinking and Your Eye Health

Alcoholic hepatitis is caused by damage to the liver from drinking alcohol. Just how alcohol damages the liver and why it does so only in some heavy drinkers isn’t clear. Alcohol-related yellowing of the eyes can be reversed if a person takes appropriate action before their liver damage progresses to an untreatable level. But if you drink heavily over an extended period of time, the effects of this behavior can include a yellowing of the sclera, which is the part of the eye that surrounds the iris.

How Alcohol Affects Liver Health

Alcoholic jaundice is a sign that a person’s liver as been damaged by their continued use of alcohol. The liver plays a vital role in processing everything that a person eyes yellow after drinking eats and drinks. We take a comforting, family-feel approach to healing those who have mental health or addiction problems.

• Moreover, bloodshot eyes can be a sign of more serious complications such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and addiction.
• If quitting cold turkey is difficult, you might consider detoxification programs to help manage withdrawal symptoms.
• To learn more or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Contact page or call our center today.
• Alcohol-related yellowing of the eyes can be reversed if a person takes appropriate action before their liver damage progresses to an untreatable level.

Alcohol use is connected with various vision problems, including blurry sight, dry eyes, and even blindness. These side effects can be both temporary and long term, and they range in severity. Additionally, drinking alcohol can change the way that your eyes respond to natural light and other stimuli. And if your eyes do not adjust to changing light correctly, you might not be fully aware of your surroundings.

As we will discuss in greater detail in the next section, this can be a sign that a person’s alcohol use has damaged their liver. Yellow eyes are not a permanent condition, and if it’s caused by alcohol-related liver damage, you can find healing from that, too. Through the completion of a treatment program and the stopping of alcohol consumption, your liver can start to heal itself.

Alcoholic hepatitis is swelling, called inflammation, of the liver caused by drinking alcohol. We will assess the full scope of your needs, help you set realistic and achievable short- and long-term goals. The first step in addressing alcoholic jaundice is to stop drinking. Over time, the more alcohol your liver processes, the more likely it is to sustain damage from its presence.