It’s well known that smoking is a dangerous habit, which can result in many health problems, including lung cancer, heart disease, and many other conditions. Your eye-health can also be affected by smoking.
A few aspects of your vision health that can be caused by smoking include:
-
- Cataracts - smoking doubles the risk of developing cataracts.
- Age-related macular degeneration at an increased risk
- Uveitis - inflammation of the eye’s middle layer
- Dry Eye - increased severity.
- Diabetic retinopathy - smoking is an additional factor to the development of this disease
- Optic nerve damage
Pregnant women who smoke put their babies at risk as well. Smoking while pregnant can affect the development of the optic nerve and cause blindness, Smoking can also lead to premature birth, which can be a cause of many health problems including blindness.
Smokers need to be more vigilant about taking care of their eyes and should make sure to have regular eye exams from an optometrist. Of course, all smokers need to quit smoking as soon as possible - both for the sake of their eye health and for the sake of their overall physical health.