Question: When I wake up in the morning, my vision is blurry and it takes a while for my eyes to focus. Should I worry?

Answer: Blurred vision upon awakening is very common. Eyes tend to become dry after several hours of sleep. Without an even film of tears over the surface of the eye, vision can be temporarily blurred.

Another reason could be a natural physiological change that occurs at night to your corneas. At nighttime, when eyes are closed, there is less oxygen entering the ocular surface, which can result in mild swelling of the cornea. This mild corneal swelling can make your vision a bit blurry when you first awaken. In a normal healthy eye, this blur resolves quite quickly once your eyes open. In people with certain corneal problems such as Fuch’s dystrophy, it may take quite a bit longer for this swelling to go down. Therefore, there will be a longer period of blur. Your eye doctor can determine whether your morning blur is normal and whether anything can help alleviate it.