How do tears temporarily boost eye sight/vision?

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Hello!

I have a pretty bad case of Astigmatism, and I’ve noticed that whenever I tear up briefly (For example after yawning), my vision becomes clearer and I am able to focus on an object easier.

Is there an explanation behind this?

Thanks in advance!

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2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

I don’t know the answer to your question exactly, but I can think of a few mechanisms which would have the same effect.

It could be not because of the tears but mechanical. Perhaps whatever triggers the tears, such as a yawn, also temporarily deforms the eye in a beneficial way. Most vision deficiencies are due to the eye being a suboptimal shape.

It could also be related to the pupil size. If whatever triggers tears also shrinks the size of your pupil, that would increase visual acuity. Smaller aperture means wider focus depth, as those skilled in photography know.

Or it could be simply that your eyes aren’t entirely clean and may be slightly dry. Tears both wash away any foreign material and smooth out the surface of the cornea. If this surface isn’t entirely smooth, visual acuity suffers.

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