Australians love to drink alcohol (especially beer and wine!) and here in Melbourne we’re Aussie through and through. Coming towards the end of 2020, the Summer Holidays, Christmas 2020, New Year’s Eve 2021, and Australia Day 2021, Australians are preparing to drink to their heart’s content. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, here are a few pointers you should be aware of before you head out for festivities like Work Christmas Parties, New Year’s Eve Fireworks, or the Boxing Day Cricket Test Match at the MCG.

1. First of all, be aware alcohol affects the eye muscles, so if you have a few drinks (within moderation!) don’t be surprised if your vision isn’t as good as usual. This lower quality eyesight can last for a period of up to 24 hours after you drink – depending on how much you drink of course.

2. Secondly, alcohol can dry your eyes, often resulting in blurry vision, or causing your contact lenses to get stuck in your eyes. So, be very careful, as you don’t want to permanently damage your eyesight!

Japanese Red Eye Beer Visual Q Eyecare Melbourne South Yarra Richmond
It’s almost like they predicted this alcohol’s effect on people’s eyes!

3. A lot of people have the habit of taking their glasses off in the taxi on the way home from their night on the town, and then forget them in the cab. Wear contact lenses, or bring your glasses case with you and be diligent to always put the frame in the case when you take it off. Also putting the glasses straight into the case ensures you or someone else doesn’t accidentally break them (usually by sitting on the frame).

4. Put your name on a sticker inside the glasses case just in case you misplace the entire thing. How often do we lose possessions after having ‘a little too much to drink’?

Work Christmas Party Drinks Visual Q Eyecare Melbourne South Yarra Richmond
There are a lot of very large empty glasses at this work Xmas party … These elves sure like to drink!

5. Lastly, don’t fall asleep with your contact lenses still in your eyes! Most probably you’ll wake up with sore eyes in the middle of the night, so taking your contact lenses out before going to bed will make sure you can sleep-in as long as you need to. Having a hangover is a pain, but add sore eyes into the equation and you’ve totally negated the great night you just had!

By Susana Liou

*Thanks to ‘mirsasha‘, ‘kalleboo‘, and ‘We are social‘ for use of the images above.