How Smoking Affects the Eyes Over Time
When it comes to health, there’s no great secret that cigarettes are not good for a person. Yet, like so many generations before, younger people tend to gravitate to smoking, assuming that being more youthful and healthier will offset smoking’s damage to the body. People don’t know how smoke has multiple side effects beyond just impacting the lungs, including damage to the eyes. Shippee Family Eye Care, P.C. in Lancaster, Montpelier, Littleton, and St. Johnsbury, NH, will be surprised to know the eyes are affected as well as the lungs.
Impact on Eye Health
Smoking is an off-gassing effect from burning tobacco; several chemicals are included in cigarette manufacturing. It transfers the chemical reaction via contact with the lungs, skin, eyes, and others exposed to cigarette smoke. A single exposure doesn’t amount to noticeable damage. However, since smoking involves repeated usage, the damage from the smoke compounds over time.
Smoking’s impact on the eyes damages multiple parts of the eye, causing damage to the retina. In addition, the lens of the eye is impacted by frequent exposure to smoke. The macula can also be affected.
Aggregate Impacts on Eye Health
Long-term smoking leads to more issues, particularly regarding changes to the eye itself. Cataracts are direct blockages that cloud the lens, literally obscuring vision. Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, triggers the inability to focus and see detail. Generally, everything becomes blurry as serious AMD sets in. Smoking can accelerate the problem as well. In fact, for both conditions, regular smokers stand to realize a 200 to 300 percent increase in the chance of either situation developing.
Contact Our Office
If you're in Lancaster, St. Johnsbury, Montpelier, or Littleton, we can help with related eye problems. Shippee Family Eye Care, P.C., has repeatedly provided smoking-damage-specific eye care for patients, developing local expertise in related eye health. Call us at Lancaster (603) 788-3561, St. Johnsbury (802) 748-3536, Montpelier (802) 223-7723, and Littleton (603) 444-2484 to schedule an appointment.