It has long been known that smoking not only affects your overall health but is a major cause of lung cancer and heart disease. What many people don’t know is that smoking can even lead to vision loss. In honour of National No Smoking Day this month, this post is dedicated to informing you on the effects on vision that smoking can have.
The facts:
Dry Eye Syndrome is more than twice as likely to happen to you if you are a smoker
Smokers triple their chances of forming nuclear cataracts
Tobacco smoke causes biological changes in your eyes, that can actually lead to vision loss
Smoking around other people can increase their chances of suffering from sight loss
Smoking is associated with the development of thyroid eye disease
The chemicals in tobacco interfere with the blood vessels inside your eyes
Smokers are three times more likely to develop AMD
One of the UK’s leading causes of sight loss is AMD (Age-related macular degeneration). This is a condition that affects the central part of your retina, the macula. It causes a change in your central vision and can make everyday tasks much more difficult. Generally, it affects adults aged over 50 years, but it has shown that smoking increases your chances of suffering from AMD.
Although smoking is a big cause of a range of diseases, both in your eyes and elsewhere, the good news is that by quitting smoking, your chances can come back down.
If you would like some tips on how you could make small steps towards quitting smoking, NHS Online is a great source of help.
If you are noticing anything different about your vision, then please do book an appointment with us today by calling 01628 663055.