Ocular Features: Virtually all patients have visual symptoms. Loss of acuity, hemianopia, visual agnosia, optic atrophy, and strabismus are the most common features.
Light Sensitivity. Many people with Adrenal Fatigue are also sensitive to light. Sodium and potassium imbalances can cause this sensitivity. These minerals help with pupil dilation, the changes in your eye that help you to see in different light intensities.
Cortisol is part of the problem. The adrenal glands, on top of the kidneys, release the hormone during times of stress, and it can dilate the pupils, making it tough for your eyes to focus and causing light sensitivity and blurred vision when you're anxious.
Salt craving. Lightheadedness. Dizziness when rising (postural hypotension) Blurry vision.
Diarrhea is less common, but may also occur. Affected individuals may have a poor appetite and unintentional weight loss and may develop progressive fatigue and muscle weakness. Muscle pain (myalgia), muscle spasms and joint pain may also occur. Dehydration can also affect individuals with Addison's disease.
Studies show that stress, a major factor in the development of adrenal fatigue, could cause dry eyes. This may result from poor sleep quality. But this very issue could also cause an increase in tear secretion.
Elevated Cortisol Levels
Being constantly stressed can cause your cortisol levels to become dangerously high. It can reduce blood flow from the eye to the brain, potentially leading to vision problems. Too much cortisol in your body can result in stress-related macular degeneration.
Estrogen, the main sex hormone in women, can cause the cornea to become more elastic, changing the way light travels through the eye. Both of these changes can lead to blurry vision and difficulty wearing contact lenses. Hormonal changes during perimenopause or menopause can also cause vision to fluctuate.
The most common symptoms are fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, and abdominal pain. Adrenal insufficiency can be caused by autoimmune disease or suddenly stopping steroid medicines used to treat other conditions, among other causes.
Adrenal insufficiency or Addison's disease is associated also with chronic fatigue. A study indicated that untreated patients with adrenal insufficiency demonstrated increased sleep fragmentation, increased REM latency, and decreased amount of time in REM sleep, findings that may explain the patients' fatigue (54).
Symptoms said to be due to adrenal fatigue include tiredness, trouble falling asleep at night or waking up in the morning, salt and sugar craving, and needing stimulants like caffeine to get through the day. These symptoms are common and non-specific, meaning they can be found in many diseases.
People with Addison's disease must be constantly aware of the risk of a sudden worsening of symptoms, called an adrenal crisis. This can happen when the levels of cortisol in your body fall significantly. An adrenal crisis is a medical emergency. If left untreated, it can be fatal.
Autoimmune Addison disease affects the function of the adrenal glands, which are small hormone-producing glands located on top of each kidney. It is classified as an autoimmune disorder because it results from a malfunctioning immune system that attacks the adrenal glands.
Multiple conditions can mimic one or more symptoms of adrenal insufficiency (chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia, chronic dyspepsia, etc.).
With Addison's disease, the damage to your adrenal glands usually happens slowly over time, so symptoms occur gradually. Symptoms vary from person to person. Symptoms of Addison's disease include: Steadily worsening fatigue (most common symptom).
The presence of abnormal EEG activity after treatment and clinical resolution of Addison's disease indicates that there may be persistent brain abnormalities and subtle cognitive impairment.
See a health care provider if you have common symptoms of Addison's disease, such as: Darkened areas of skin. Extreme loss of body water, also known as dehydration. Severe fatigue.
Too little cortisol may be due to a problem in the pituitary gland or the adrenal gland (Addison's disease). The onset of symptoms is often very gradual. Symptoms may include fatigue, dizziness (especially upon standing), weight loss, muscle weakness, mood changes and the darkening of regions of the skin.
Cortisol is normally highest during the day, and slowly decreases through the day, with lowest levels at night before going to sleep. However, when the adrenals are weak, cortisol levels in the morning tend to be low. This results in difficulty waking up, feeling groggy, and having low energy in the mornings.
Most people with the condition live a normal lifespan and are able to live an active life, with few limitations. However, many people with Addison's disease also find they must learn to manage bouts of fatigue and there may be associated health conditions, such as diabetes or an underactive thyroid.
You have severe pain in your stomach, waist, or back. You have very dry skin, dry mouth and tongue, or feel more thirsty than normal. Your symptoms become worse, even after you take medicine.
Eye and vision anxiety symptoms common descriptions include:
Experiencing visual irregularities, such as seeing stars, shimmers, blurs, halos, shadows, “ghosted images,” “heat wave-like images,” fogginess, flashes, and double-vision. See things out of the corner of your eye that aren't there.