What impact does smoking have on vision?

Whether you are a smoker or not, you have probably already heard that smoking is bad for your health. But have you ever been told that smoking can have consequences on your vision? We are not trying to bother you with this… but we are going to show you that cigarettes are really not great for you… even when you are not the one smoking!

1.    The impact of smoking on your vision

When talking about the consequences of smoking, you rarely think about the ones that affect your eyesight, do you?

However, your eyes are among the first organs exposed to the harmful substances contained in cigarette smoke. As you may have understood, whether you are a smoker or not, every exposure to cigarette smoke weakens your eyes!

2.    Vision problems linked to smoking

Cataracts

Smoking can cause what is known as oxidative stress. In other words, your cells age much faster! Beyond premature wrinkles, you may also develop diseases that normally affect older people, such as cataracts! This phenomenon affects the transparency of your lens and, over time, can significantly reduce your vision!

AMD

AMD (age-related macular degeneration) usually appears after the age of 50. This chronic disease affects the central area of the retina and therefore has a major impact on your vision! Smoking increases the risk of developing this disease by 4 to 6 times! (and that is really not good news)

Diabetic retinopathy

For people with diabetes, smoking can significantly increase the risk of retinopathy. This condition affects the blood vessels and arteries located at the back of the eye. So, what does it actually do? It can cause dark spots in your vision and even lead to blindness!

Uveitis

This condition causes inflammation of the uvea, which can lead to various problems such as glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment or even vision loss.

Okay… we will spare you the complete list of eye problems linked to smoking, but you should also know that it can cause ocular migraines and dry eyes.

Be careful, having vision problems does not necessarily mean that they are caused by smoking!

3.    How to prevent the effects of smoking on your vision?

Of course, we recommend quitting smoking, even though we know it is not easy!

Along with quitting smoking, we can also recommend:

-       Hydrating your eyes by getting enough rest;

-       Maintaining good eye hygiene;

-       Choosing foods that are good for your vision;

-       Protecting your eyes from external factors such as the sun with sunglasses.