If you have forgotten, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting again!

This revelation of the effects of smoking, especially on your eyes is astonishing. An approximate amount of 4000 chemicals present in the cigarette smoke gets into the bloodstream of smokers and may cause damage to the eye. It can even cause the thinning of the membrane covering the eye, (conjunctiva) resulting in bloodspot and irritate the eyes.

Age-related macular degeneration and other diseases have also been linked to effects of smoking. The causes of macular degeneration are not completely understood, but smoking is believed to be the main preventable risk factor. Smoking directly is linked to the rising of intraocular pressure that can lead to glaucoma and accompanying optic nerve damage. Although the effects of smoking stretches to several eye diseases, including nuclear cataract and thyroid eye disease, the most common cause of smoking related blindness is age related macular degeneration, which results in severe irreversible loss of central vision.

How does smoking damage the eyes?

Thousands of chemicals get into your bloodstream when you inhale cigarette smoke and can travel throughout your body. These chemicals cause damage to the macula. Tiny blood vessels can burst through the macula, leading to irreversible damage, or alternatively, the cells of the macula slowly die. Both ultimately lead to loss of vision.

UV Protection

Exposure to UV radiation can harm your eyes and affect your vision as well. There are three types of UV radiation. One type, called UV-C, is absorbed by the ozone layer and does not present any threat. More and more scientific evidence is showing that exposure to both UV-A and UV-B can have adverse long- and short-term effects on your eyes and vision.

If you are exposed, unprotected, to excessive amounts of UV radiation over a short period of time, you are likely to experience an effect called photokeratitis which is one of the effects of smoking.  Like “sunburn of the eye” it may be painful and symptoms including red eyes, a foreign body sensation in the eyes, extreme sensitivity to light and excessive tearing may be noticed. Fortunately, this is usually temporary and rarely causes permanent damage to the eyes.

Long-term exposure to UV rays can definitely be hazardous, thus chances of developing a cataract are a possibility, and may cause damage to the retina, the damage to the retina is usually not reversible.

It is highly recommended to wear good quality sunglasses that offer good protection and a cap whenever you are outdoors.

I hope this information has helped you a lot. Please share this with your loved ones and protect them as well. Quit smoking and start seeing the brighter side of life!!

Share This Article :