Vision Impairment
Occasionally, night vision will be impaired, because of poor nutrition and decreased amounts of vitamin A in the body. Transient blurred vision, or blurred vision that comes and goes may also be a form of vision impairment with disordered eating.
According to The Parent’s Guide to Eating Disorders by Marcia Herrin, EdD, MPH, RD and Nancy Matsumoto, there are several other forms vision impairment, including burst blood vessels in the eye. “Vomiting, and the increased pressure on the eyes that it causes, is the likely source of burst blood vessels in the eyes of bulimics and purging anorexics. Known as conjunctival hemorrhages, this reddening of the eye is usually transient; and although scary-looking, it is not dangerous.”
Rarely, vomiting is so severe that it causes retinal detachment, which require laser surgery to repair. Another eye symptom is petechiae. These small red dots are caused by minute amounts of blood that escape into the skin around the eyes when vomiting is forcefully induced.
Eating Disorder Self Test. Take the EAT-26 self test to see if you might have eating disorder symptoms that might require professional evaluation. All answers are confidential.