The Effects Of Smoking On Your Eyesight
If you are currently a smoker, your eye doctor might warn you to quit this habit. Smoking is harmful to your respiratory health, and it is equally as harmful to your eyes. When you smoke, you increase your risks of developing eye diseases and problems, and you are taking the risk of losing your eyesight. Here are some of the issues smoking can lead to with your eyes and the reasons smoking causes damage and problems to your eyes.
Issues Smoking Can Lead To
When you smoke, you are putting major risks on your eyes, and people that smoke have a greater chance of developing the following issues:
- Cataracts – You have twice the risk of developing cataracts if you smoke. Cataracts can be removed, but it requires a surgical procedure.
- Macular degeneration – You also multiply your risk of developing macular degeneration if you smoke. This disease has no cure and is the leading cause of vision loss.
- Diabetic retinopathy – If you are diabetic, your chances of developing diabetic retinopathy are great, and smoking will make these effects even worse. Diabetic retinopathy is caused by damage to the blood vessels in the eyes, and it can lead to blindness if it is not detected and treated at an early stage.
- Indirect effects from cardiovascular problems – Smoking affects the heart and the way it works, and this often leads to cardiovascular problems. When you have problems with your heart, it can change your eyes and affect the way they work. It can also lead to eye diseases and conditions.
Smoking can also lead to other problems with the eyes, including dry eyes, night vision problems, and vision loss. If you want to protect your eyes against these issues, you should find a way to stop smoking. Not only could this decision save your eyesight, but it could also help you stay healthier and live longer.
Why Smoking Causes Eye Problems
There are several reasons smoking effects your eyes, but one of the main issues is from the free radicals smoking creates in your body. When you smoke, your body increases the number of free radicals. Free radicals are atoms in your body that are considered very unstable. These atoms are destructive to the body and cause premature aging. The free radicals your body produces can harm many parts of your body, including your eyes, and this can cause you to develop the conditions listed above.
The other main issue caused by smoking is the effect of oxygen to the eyes. Your eyes need a steady supply of oxygen in order for them to work properly. The problem is that smoking blocks the arteries that deliver blood to the eyes. When the blood flow is restricted, the oxygen level is also restricted.
Smoking also increases the pressure within the eyes, and this occurs because of the effects smoking has on blood pressure. When you smoke, it causes an increase in your blood pressure. This added pressure gets forced through your entire body, including inside your eyes. This excess pressure to the eyes leads to broken blood vessels, which can result in damage to your eyes.
Smoking is not a good habit to have, yet many people continue to smoke because it can be a hard habit to break. If you want to protect the health of your eyes and body, you may want to talk to your doctor about quitting smoking. You should also schedule an appointment with an optometrist to have your eyes examined. They can help you detect eye problems early, which is an important step in preventing vision loss.
Share