How does smoking affect your vision? | Read this before it’s too late

Smoking causes deaths every year in the world and many people do not realize that smoking can also be harmful to the eyes and causes blindness. Toxins released by smoking can be absorbed through your blood and spread through your skin and can even go through your eyes.

Smoking has a direct impact on eye health and vision

The effects of cigarettes and tobacco on health are widely known, but smoking also has a direct impact on eye health and can lead to vision loss. Cigarette smoke can contain harmful substances that affect the visual system in the body. Similarly, smoking can be associated with increased eye diseases and cataracts and other eye diseases. A regular eyesight check is essential when smokers or others have been smoking.

Which type of eye diseases caused by smoking?

Tobacco smoke contains toxic substances harmful to your body and if you inhale it can be fatal. Smoking is associated with many eye problems such as:

Glaucoma

Glaucoma causes a gradual break down of the cells that make up the nerve in your eye that sends visual information to your brain (optic nerve). As the nerve cells die, vision is slowly lost, usually beginning with side vision.

Diabetes Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy Smoking is associated with an increased risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, which places a person at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. With this eye disease, tiny blood vessels in your retina (the thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye) become damaged and leaking occurs.

Damaged retinal blood vessels can cause blindness. Over five million Americans are diabetic retinoids. This number is expected to increase from 16 million to 16 million in 2050. Smoke can also cause diabetes. There is also a causal correlation between tobacco consumption and diabetic diabetes.

Uveitis

Smoking can lead to a disease that affects part of the eye called the uvea. This is the middle layer of the eye wall. Uveitis is when this layer becomes inflamed (red and swollen) .Uveitis Smoking has been shown to be a risk factor for developing uveitis, which is inflammation inside the eye. Uveitis can lead to eye redness, pain, and permanent vision loss.

Cataracts

It is believed that free radicals in tobacco smoke alter the cells in the lens of the eye, which resulted to cataracts. Smoking may also lead to the accumulation of heavy metals in the lens of smoking eye. Such damage means smokers are two to three times more likely to develop cataracts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Find out how much is the cost of removing cataracts in your eyes.

Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

The macula (the central part of the retina that helps you see clearly) can deteriorate for many reasons, including from smoking. There are two types of AMD: dry AMD and wet AMD.

All forms of AMD begin with the dry AMD in which the development of a fatty protein called drusen leads to thinning and loss of nerve cells in the macula. AMD is the leading cause of legal blindness in older adults (65 and older). Smokers are two times more at risk to develop AMD,

AMD begins with loss of central vision, causing difficulty in reading fine details. Dry AMD is the more common type. Dry AMD forms on the retina. The visual decline from dry AMD tends to worsen slowly.

When the retina is wet, it can rupture or even leak blood into arteries. This changes vision and causes scar tissue to form. Wet AMD is less common, but more quickly harmful to vision. People who have AMD have vision problems such as, cannot read or see detail on the TV and reading. They cannot easily recognise faces, unable to drive and confuse medication labels and are at risk of other illnesses .Fall more easily and suffer more serious complications from falling down.

Do you know there is eye vitamins that can help to slow down the progression of AMDs?

Smoking And Cataracts

Cataracts are a global leading cause of blindness. Approximately 59.9 million Americans suffer cataract surgery before the age of 82. Smoking increases the chance of cataracts compared to non-smokers.

Cataracts develop when the eye’s naturally transparent lens becomes cloudy, causing blurred vision, light sensitivity and difficulty driving at night. Smoking increases the amount of free radicals in your eyes. Free radicals are responsible for damaging the lipids and proteins in the eyes and causing deposits to the lens and resulted to cataracts.

Smoking And Dry Eyes

Smokers are constantly exposed to smoke each time they exhale, which can lead to dry eye syndrome. The toxins in smoke can also cause eye irritation, which can make dry eye symptoms even worse, especially for those who wear contact lenses.

Smoking can increase the chances of getting dry eyes. Dry eye syndrome is characterized by lack of tear at the eyes surface, a condition needed for maintaining eye lubrication and health. The symptoms of dry eye include red skin. Smoke has been known to cause eye irritation and worsen the dry eye.

What happens when smoke hits your eyes?

Smoking can cause some individuals to temporarily change their vision. The irritation on the conjunctiva (the mucous membrane covering the forehead and inside the eyes) from smoke cigarettes may result in blurriness. A mild to severe dryness on the eyes can even damage corneal surfaces.

How Do i Quit smoking?

Eat healthy foods (including green leafy vegetables, fruits and foods high in vitamins C, E, and beta carotene). Control blood pressure and cholesterol. Stay active lifestyle and visit your eye care professional regularly.

Quit smoking to protect against heart disease and your eyesight If you smoke, it is highly recommended to seek professional advice on how to quit smoking. There are many different treatment programs that can provide you with the support you need to help you quit smoking. It’s never too late to quit smoking by using these methods.

• Nicotine Patch
• Nicotine Lozenge
• Nicotine Gum
• Nicotine Oral Inhaler
• Nicotine Nasal Spray
• Varenicline
• Bupropion SR