Cigarette Smoking and Eye Damage

Smoking cigarettes has a profound impact on visual health – and unlike damage to the heart and lungs, these impacts are not reduced or minimized when you quit. However, because this damage is cumulative, quitting now can still help prevent additional harm from occurring and may even help prevent a complete loss of vision in the future.

Smoking cigarettes increases risks for:

• Cataracts – tobacco use more than doubles the risk for cataracts
• Macular degeneration – cigarettes increase risks for this disease threefold
• Diabetic retinopathy – smoking doubles the risk for retinopathy in diabetics

A new study conducted on 88 adults aged 20-50 has found that smokers have a thinner retinal nerve fiber layer, similar to that of people with glaucoma. This conclusion was reached even after adjustments were made for health, age, sex, refractive errors, and eye pressure in each of the 44 smokers and 44 nonsmokers who participated in the study. A thinner retinal nerve fiber layer is associated with blind spots, peripheral vision loss, and complete loss of vision.

 

Smokers and former smokers may need to visit their eye doctor with greater frequency to help guard against vision loss associated with the habit. If you are looking for an experienced ophthalmologist in your area, please use our contact form to be put in touch with an eye doctor in your area today.