Smoking Can Have Harmful Effects on Your Vision

Smoking is a very dangerous habit and is widely known to cause heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema and the list goes on.  But many people do not realize that smoking can also have significantly damaging effects on your vision and eye health.

What Smoking Can Do To Your Eyes

Some of the ways the smoke and chemicals from tobacco use can affect your eye health include:

  • Causes biological changes in your eyes that can lead to vision loss
  • Interferes with the production of tears
  • Reduces the amount of oxygen that gets to your eyes
  • Can damage the blood vessels in your eyes
  • Can increase the chance of color vision deficiency

Eye Diseases That Can Be Caused By Smoking

Smoking has been linked to many leading causes of vision loss and eye conditions such as:

  • Age Related Macular Degeneration  (AMD)- a leading cause of vision loss in adults 50 and over which occurs when part of the retina called the macula is damaged
  • Cataracts – a clouding of the eye’s natural lens
  • Diabetic Retinopathy – When high blood sugar levels cause damage to blood vessels in the retina
  • Glaucoma – a condition of increased pressure within the eyeball, causing gradual loss of sight

How To Prevent Eye Damage From Smoking

The best answer, of course, is to quit smoking.  Kicking this habit can greatly reduce your risk of developing some of these eye conditions that can cause vision loss.  If you have never been a smoker, these examples just add to the reasons why you have made a wise choice.

Early detection is always best for your eye health, as many eye conditions can be treated more effectively if diagnosed early.  A thorough eye exam is the only way to detect many eye diseases so always make regular appointments with your optometrist.   Dr. Martin at Family Vision Development Center in Aurora is an experienced optometrist and vision therapist and can diagnose and treat an extensive list of eye conditions.  Call 630-862-2020 to schedule your appointment or use our convenient online appointment request form.

Full referenced article HERE

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