What Smoking Does to Your Eyes

If you smoke or have spent any time around smokers, you know that cigarette smoke can irritate the eyes, making them itchy, red, and watery, similar to the symptoms of dry eye syndrome. These surface irritations are, however, the least damaging thing cigarette smoke does to vision.

There is significant evidence linking cigarette smoking to vision disorders including:

• Macular degeneration
• Cataracts
• Artery and vein occlusion
• Optic neuropathy

People who smoke are at a much higher risk for these and other disorders, many of which can lead to a permanent loss of vision.

Smoking Cessation

With things such as macular degeneration, studies have found that damage done by cigarettes cannot be undone. However, quitting now eliminates compounding damage. It is important to remember that many of the issues caused by smoking are related to nicotine, which is a vascular constrictor. This means that continued use of nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, is not an effective way to reduce risks to your vision. To help reduce risks and ensure optimal vision well into the future, complete cessation of nicotine products is essential.

Your physician and eye doctor can work together to help you overcome your addiction and protect your eyes and body for years to come.

If you are interested in learning more about maintaining optimal visual health, please contact an experienced eye doctor in your area today.