The adverse effect of Smoking on Vision

 Smoking contributes to a number of major health problems including heart disease, stroke, cancer but many people don't know that smoking also affects your vision. The survey shows 9 among 10 Indians try to quit smoking but fails. Cigarette smoke contains 4000 chemicals including 43 known carcinogenic agents like nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide arsenic, DDT, formaldehyde and 400 other toxins.

stroke, cancer but many people don't know that smoking also affects your vision. The survey shows 9 among 10 Indians try to quit smoking but fails. Cigarette smoke contains 4000 chemicals including 43 known carcinogenic agents like nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide arsenic, DDT, formaldehyde and 400 other toxins.

‘The World no tobacco day’ witnessed on May 31st focuses on the ill effects of tobacco consumption on health and the availability of solution to reduce tobacco related diseases or deaths. Research has found that smokers have double the risk of developing cataracts compared with non-smokers. This risk is triple for heavy smokers. The more you smoke, the more your eyes are exposed to the pollutants. Dr.Sadasiva Rao – Sr.Consultant - MaxiVision Super Specialty eye hospitals, Hyderabad shares his valuable thoughts through this article.

Effects on eyes: smoking significantly increase the risk of developing cataracts (cloudiness of vision), and risk continues to increase the more you smoke.

Age related macular degeneration (AMD) affects the centre of the retina, which is responsible for sharp central vision such as reading and driving. AMD causes blind spots impairs central vision and permanent loss of vision. Studies shows smokers can have a three fold increase risk of AMD compared with who never smoked.

Uveitis (inflammation of the middle layer of eye or uvea) is a serious eye disease that can result in complete vision loss. It can affects vital structures of eye including iris and retina and can lead to cataract, glaucoma, retinal detachment. There are 2 to 3 times greater risk of uveitis when compared with nonsmokers.

Diabetic retinopathy damages the blood vessels of the retina and result of vision loss. Smoking doubles the risk of diabetes. Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) is an eye disease that results in sudden painless loss of vision can lead to permanent loss of vision.  

Women who smoke during pregnancy transmit dangerous toxins to the placenta,potentially harming the unborn child and increase the risk of many fetal and infantile eye disorders, such as strabismus (crossed eye),under developed optic nerve and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) which leading cause of blindness in children.

Tobacco smoke is known as eye irritant and worsen dry eye syndrome particularly in contact lens wearer. people who smoke are nearly twice as likely to have dry eyes.

Avoid smoking is the best investments you can make in your long term eye health as well as general health. The good news is that after people quit smoking their risk for some eye disease become almost as low as for people who never smoked. The damage smoking can cause isn’t limited to the lungs. A smoking habit can actually damage eyesight faster than disease. Thus, quitting smoking reduces the risk of macular degeneration by six percent after just one year, and it also reduces the risk of developing cataracts and improves a long term eye- health.

stroke, cancer but many people don't know that smoking also affects your vision. The survey shows 9 among 10 Indians try to quit smoking but fails. Cigarette smoke contains 4000 chemicals including 43 known carcinogenic agents like nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide arsenic, DDT, formaldehyde and 400 other toxins.

‘The World no tobacco day’ witnessed on May 31st focuses on the ill effects of tobacco consumption on health and the availability of solution to reduce tobacco related diseases or deaths. Research has found that smokers have double the risk of developing cataracts compared with non-smokers. This risk is triple for heavy smokers. The more you smoke, the more your eyes are exposed to the pollutants. Dr.Sadasiva Rao – Sr.Consultant - MaxiVision Super Specialty eye hospitals, Hyderabad shares his valuable thoughts through this article.

Effects on eyes: smoking significantly increase the risk of developing cataracts (cloudiness of vision), and risk continues to increase the more you smoke.

Age related macular degeneration (AMD) affects the centre of the retina, which is responsible for sharp central vision such as reading and driving. AMD causes blind spots impairs central vision and permanent loss of vision. Studies shows smokers can have a three fold increase risk of AMD compared with who never smoked.

Uveitis (inflammation of the middle layer of eye or uvea) is a serious eye disease that can result in complete vision loss. It can affects vital structures of eye including iris and retina and can lead to cataract, glaucoma, retinal detachment. There are 2 to 3 times greater risk of uveitis when compared with nonsmokers.

Diabetic retinopathy damages the blood vessels of the retina and result of vision loss. Smoking doubles the risk of diabetes. Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) is an eye disease that results in sudden painless loss of vision can lead to permanent loss of vision.  

Women who smoke during pregnancy transmit dangerous toxins to the placenta,potentially harming the unborn child and increase the risk of many fetal and infantile eye disorders, such as strabismus (crossed eye),under developed optic nerve and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) which leading cause of blindness in children.

Tobacco smoke is known as eye irritant and worsen dry eye syndrome particularly in contact lens wearer. people who smoke are nearly twice as likely to have dry eyes.

Avoid smoking is the best investments you can make in your long term eye health as well as general health. The good news is that after people quit smoking their risk for some eye disease become almost as low as for people who never smoked. The damage smoking can cause isn’t limited to the lungs. A smoking habit can actually damage eyesight faster than disease. Thus, quitting smoking reduces the risk of macular degeneration by six percent after just one year, and it also reduces the risk of developing cataracts and improves a long term eye- health.