Lighting up is Harmful to the Eyes

Smoking is harmful is a known fact. It affects the lungs, can cause thickening of the arteries and lead to heart attacks and stroke. What is lesser know is that it can affect the vision also.

It can lead to a  simple reddening of eyes or even loss of vision. The chances of going blind in old age are four-fold among smokers compared to non-smokers.

Free radicals present in the tobacco smoke cause aerophilic damage to the body cells, says Dr Manoj Rai Mehta, an ophthalmologist. These free radicals are of two types of which the ones in the tar phase are relatively stable and the other in the gas phase are unstable and highly reactive.

Here we list how smoking affects the eye.

Dry eyes: Due to smoke, there is irritation in the surface tissues of the eye which leads to dilatation of blood vessels, puffiness of lids and watering and also pre- existing Dry Eye Disease can worsen.

Cataract:A smoker has more chances of getting cataract than a non smoker as the lens protein get coagulated due to free radical injury. The chances of getting uveitis, inflammation of inner, vascular coat of the eye, retina detachment is double in smokers than the normal population.

Glaucoma: It is a disorder of the optic nerve. It is caused by high pressures in the eye and can worsen with tobacco smoking. Cyanide present in the tobacco smoke can cause tobacco

Amblyopia: Cyanide present in the tobacco smoke can cause irreversible damage to the optic nerve. The optic nerve which is already compromised is further damaged by smoking. The visual function will be damaged similarly even if tobacco is consumed in other forms.
Problems with contact lens wear: Dry eyes make contacts uncomfortable. This can lead to corneal ulcerations, which can cause blindness.