The Dutch underestimate the impact of alcohol on sight
You see blurry and blurry if you’ve had too much to drink, everyone knows that. But most people don’t realize that one glass of wine can have a negative effect on your vision. In fact, almost 70 percent think that alcohol has no effect on your eyesight. What exactly does alcohol do to your vision?
Research by a large optical chain from 2018 shows that the Dutch underestimate the impact of one or more glasses of alcohol on vision. And not just a little: 67 percent think that alcohol has no effect on their vision. So many people don’t know that alcohol can affect your eyesight even in small amounts. And this while your vision can already deteriorate at the allowed alcohol limit.
Permitted limit already causes vision problems
The maximum permitted blood alcohol level for participation in traffic is 0.5. Men reach this percentage within an hour after drinking about two glasses of alcohol, women with slightly less, according to research by the Trimbos Institute. Depending on, for example, your physique and what you ate that day, this blood alcohol level can already have an impact on vision.
Squinting through alcohol
“Alcohol works on your eye muscles, causing you to squint and deteriorate your vision. The pupils react more slowly and the contrast between light and dark is less noticeable. This can be especially dangerous when driving at night and your eyes are less likely to react to the headlights of oncoming cars. Excessive alcohol intake also reduces the ability to estimate distances and perceive colors and also narrows your field of view. This makes you less aware of what is happening left and right and you see brake lights , direction indicators and reflectors less quickly”, optometrist says Simone Stad.
The elderly estimate the effects of alcohol less well
As mentioned, almost 70 percent (67%) think it’s not that bad with the effects of a beer or two. They even think that a few drinks have no effect on their vision at all. Moreover, it is striking that the older the person is, the lower the effect of alcohol on vision is estimated. For example, 33 percent of 18 to 35-year-olds think alcohol affects their vision, compared to just 10 percent of those over 60. It is also underestimated from what amount alcohol has an effect on vision. 87 percent of the Dutch think that two glasses of alcohol have no impact on their vision and 76 percent also think this with three glasses. With more than three glasses, this number still remains at 54 percent. Something to keep in mind if you still have to hit the road after one or more drinks.
