My wife is trying to get me to stop smoking and she says it can damage my eyes. Is this true?
Smoking has been linked to several health conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and various cancers. As such, it has been implicated in the early formation of cataracts, it is a leading factor in macular degeneration, has been implicated in diabetic retinopathy, and is thought to make glaucoma worse.
How exactly does smoking affect the eyes?
Smoking can cause damage to the eye in a variety of ways. Smoke contains toxins and chemicals that get into your bloodstream and travel throughout the body including to the eyes. As well, smoking creates free radicals, which have been implicated in damage of healthy cells. These chemicals act upon tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that help carry oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the eye such as the lens, cornea, retina, and optic nerve. They may decrease blood flow or even cause clots to develop in the capillaries, thus preventing the eye from getting the nutrients required for healthy function. This may lead to decreased vision, and in the case of macular degeneration, even legal blindness.
What diseases does it cause?
Although smoking has not been found to specifically cause any eye disease, it is one of the factors implicated in their progression.
For example, most people get cataracts as they get older. However, people who smoke tend to get cataract earlier than non smokers (some studies show 10-15 years earlier).
Dry eye is a condition where the eyes do not produce the right amount or consistency of tears. Smokers with dry eye syndrome have much worse symptoms of scratchiness, stinging, or burning of the eyes, as the smoke acts as a direct irritant.
Most studies have found that in patients with diabetic retinopathy, cessation of smoking tends to slow down progression of the retinal damage.
One of the side effects of smoking is constriction/ shrinking of the blood vessels. Some studies have found that this may progress the damage done to the optic nerve in patients who have glaucoma.
But, the most significant correlation is between smoking and development of macular degeneration, which is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world.
Smokers are 2-3 times more likely to develop this disease than non smokers, and the damage is irreversible.
Although my wife doesn’t smoke, she’s telling me I can make her sick with my smoking.
She’s absolutely right. Secondhand smoke, depending on the amount of exposure, also can be just as dangerous as if she were smoking herself! So she’s right in trying to get you to quit.
