Can dehydration affect vision?

Dehydration affects the eye and the tissue around it in different ways. It can cause dark circles and the appearance of sunken eyes. Dehydration can also cause dry, red and irritated eyes as well as blurred and double vision. Dehydration can also be a sign of systemic diseases that damage the eye.

What is dehydration?

Dehydration occurs when more water leaves the body than enters. Water enters your body through what you eat and drink. The skin can also absorb a small amount of water from the environment.

Water leaves the body through:

Most of the body is covered with skin containing keratin and glycolipids — an excellent barrier to evaporation. However, those areas of the body that are not covered by skin, such as the mucous membranes and the eyes, are much more sensitive to drying out.