| | | | | vitamins—including those necessary for eye health. |
| We have all heard or seen the | | | | Contact lens wearers who also |
| surgeon general’s warning about smoking: it causes | | | | smoke exacerbate conditions of dry eye and cornea |
| lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may | | | | irritation, increasing the chances of infection. Achieving |
| complicate pregnancy. But fewer people know that it | | | | comfort becomes more difficult, and smokers have to |
| also plays a significant, negative role in eye health. | | | | resort to additional dietary nutrients, supplements, or |
| Recent studies have pointed to | | | | medicated drops to increase eye moisture. Quitting |
| smoking as a contributor to age-related macular | | | | the habit gives you the opportunity to see if your dry |
| degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in persons | | | | eyes improve to the point where you can do away |
| 65 and older. Smokers also have a three-times | | | | with those ‘artificial tears’ and other lubricants. |
| greater risk of developing cataracts. | | | | Second hand smoke has over |
| The chemicals in cigarette | | | | 250 toxic compounds that are left behind in the air for |
| smoke get into the bloodstream, cause clots, and | | | | eyes to be exposed to. In addition to the obvious |
| shrink blood vessels. The retina uses a major supply | | | | irritation, second hand smoke gets into the bloodstream |
| of blood to help us see clearly. When the retinal | | | | just as pervasively as puffing from a lit cigarette. |
| receptors lack a proper flow of blood, damage occurs | | | | Quitting smoking reduces the |
| that directly affects eyesight. This constriction of | | | | risks of developing eye disease, but once you are |
| blood vessels also raises inner eye pressure, resulting | | | | diagnosed with macular degeneration or optic nerve |
| in glaucoma and deterioration of the optic nerve. | | | | damage it is irreversible. The key is to give up |
| Other eye disorders attributed | | | | smoking while eyes are relatively healthy with no |
| to smoking include uveitis, an inflammation of the middle | | | | major disorders present; risk factors continue to |
| layer of the eye and Graves’ ophthalmopathy, a | | | | decline the longer you stay away from cigarettes. |
| thyroid-related disease that disrupts muscle control of | | | | Snuffing out the habit sooner |
| the eye. Smoking worsens diabetic retinopathy, blood | | | | rather than later is a winning health strategy. Not only |
| vessel damage associated with abnormal sugar levels | | | | will you breathe easier and enjoy your activities more, |
| and spikes the number of free radicals, molecules in | | | | but you will also give yourself a great chance of |
| the body that alter healthy cells. This changes the | | | | keeping good vision along with a better quality of life. |
| ability to absorb proper nutrients and | | | | |