All of us close eyes for around 7 to 8 hours of the 24 in a day while we sleep. But opening and beginning to receive visual stimuli through them again after waking is something that is such a key part of beginning a new day. As you get older it’s not uncommon for it to take a few minutes for your eyes to come into focus after you wake up and open them, but that’s not the inconvenience of having blurred vision. Allergic conjunctivitis is a reality for those with seasonal allergies, so can eye allergy cause blurred vision? 

It can, but only if the allergic reaction a person is having is resulting in keratitis. This is inflammation of the cornea, and for the average person who has hay fever in the spring or early summer this isn’t something that usually happens. There is inflammation causing the redness and eye itchiness they’re experiencing, but they won’t have keratitis. Other types of allergies will cause keratitis though, and this will be the explanation when a person has blurry vision because of an allergic reaction.  

So that’s the plain answer for can eye allergy cause blurred vision. They can, but only if the allergic reaction is making the cornea inflamed. One helpful point to note here is that people who have seasonal allergies and experience allergic conjunctivitis regularly may get blurred vision if they are contact lens wearers. This is not because of their pollen allergies, but rather because wearing contact lenses for long periods of time can irritate the cornea and promote keratitis too. 

Good Intentions  

It’s fair to say that your eyes are pretty much the most sensitive organ in your body, and they also tend to put up with a lot based on the way they’re so fully exposed to the outside world every time your eyelids are open. When an allergen gets into the eyes the body’s immune system is going to be quick to jump into action. We know that seasonal allergies can’t be a factor in can eye allergy cause blurred vision, but even if there’s not keratoconjunctivitis going on there will be plenty of tearing up if it is pollen that has you in a bad way.  

The reason that tear ducts are instructed to go into overdrive by the immune system is a natural response to protect irritation, and if that happens then the person may experience temporary blurred vision because all of the excess fluid in the eyes. But it won’t be a lasting condition, and it probably won’t be too much of a problem unless it happens right at a time where they need to look closely at something. If blurred vision is resulting because of excess tears it’s only going to be a short-term impediment.  

Hypertensive retinopathy can also be a cause of blurred vision, and while this while have nothing to do with can eye allergy cause blurred vision it is worth mentioning here because if can be blurred vision caused by stress and anxiety – two aspects of living the more frantic lives that is the reality for so many more people nowadays.