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Can't see the fire for the smoke? You may end up not being able to see even that if you are a smoker.
Avoiding the nicotene urge or making a positive effort to quit is one of the most crucial decisions you can make for your long term eye health. Even at early ages when old age and degeneration seems a long way off, the onset of risks are right there. These include age related macular degeneration and cataracts but quitting means that the risks for these diseases becomes almost as low as for people who have never picked up a cigarette.
The smoke from cigarettes is highly toxic, with thousands of active compounds including tar, formaldehyde, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the deadly carbon dioxide. We are all aware of the massive impact it has on our lungs and hearts but the harmful effects on vision are less well recognised.
A smoker doubles their risk of developing cataracts compared with non-smokers. If you are classed as a heavy smoker (more than 20 a day) this risk is tripled. Research and doctors have identified a specific relationship between the amount a person smokes and the chance of developing cataracts. Smoking alters the cells of the eye lens through oxidation. It will also lead to the accumulation of heavy metals like cadmium in the lens of the eye contributing to the "looking through a waterfall" effect.
The smokers risk of developing macular degeneration is double to four times greater than that of non-smokers. As with cataracts, the risk increases the more a person has smoked. Its also recorded that there are higher numbers of people at risk of macular degeneration in in non-smokers who are frequently exposed to passive cigarette smoke.
Doctors believe that smoking promotes macular degeneration by interfering with blood flow to the retina. Smoking might also increase the deleterious effects of oxidation on the cells of the macula.
Other dangers include
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Dry eye
- Optic Nerve Damage
- Conjunctivitis
- Lazy Eye
If you are a smoker and decide that tomorrow is the day you quit, studies show that you will have a 6.7 percent reduced risk of developing macular degeneration after just one year. If you stay smoke free for another 5 years, the risk drops by another 5 percent.
The same goes for cataracts, damage caused by smoking will heal itself although at a very slow rate. Those who have quit smoking for 25 years have a 20 percent lower risk of cataracts when compared with current smokers.
The best advice is never start to smoke and if you are smoker, stop now! You can get Android Apps these days to assist! Even as an ex-smoker you are at higher risk of loss of vision from cataracts or macular degeneration compared to people who have never lit up a cigarette.