Why is my vision blurry in the morning?

Unless you are uniquely special, you don't wake up and immediately have crystal clear vision. Like the rest of the body, everything takes a little while to get going with the eye- the tear production system, your focusing eye muscles and even your tissues need time to unswell as your eyelids have been closed overnight, a bit like having the lid closed on a soup pot and having the condensation underneath. As you get older, everything takes a even a bit longer to get going ... I know that all too well :)

But how long is too long for your vision to get going? What if you are blurry for like an hour? Well usually this a sign something isn't quite right.

The most common reason for prolonged blurry vision in the morning is dry eye disease. Tear production is reduced overnight- both in terms of the tear glands shutting down and the pumping action of the eyelid blinks being absent. So if you have dry eye disease, one of the worst periods of dryness can be first thing in the morning. Sometimes it can be so dry, that your eyelid feels " stuck" to your eyeball.

Another condition that can cause blurry vision in the morning is called Fuchs endothelial dystrophy. This long named disease is a genetic condition affecting the water pumps of the front lens of the eye (the cornea). As a result of a lack of these water pumps, the cornea becomes swollen overnight and then needs time to " dry out" in the morning once the eye is open.

There is treatment for both these conditions-so if your vision seems to take a long time to come good in the morning, you should really go and see your optometrist or eye surgeon for a check.

* Information on this blog is general in nature and should not be taken as professional medical advice or as a substitute for a consultation with a medical professional.