LaserVision

How Does Smoking Affect Your Eyesight?

How Does Smoking Affect Your Eyesight?
We have all heard about the dangers of smoking – it can harm every organ in the body and that includes the eyes.

Generally when we think of smoking and what it does to us, it’s usually something to do with our lungs, but smoking can actually damage eyesight faster than a disease. Here are some of the ways smoking can damage our eyes.

Increased Risk Of Cataracts

Cataracts are the world’s leading cause of blindness – smoking generally doubles the risk of developing them, or triples the risk if you are a heavy smoker. The first signs of cataracts include; the blurring of vision, ghosting of images or double vision and reduction of contrast and colour perception.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

AMD is a leading cause of blindness, which usually starts with blind spots, reading comes more difficult, faces become harder to recognise. The risk of AMD is increased by three times if you are a smoker. The good news is, quitting smoking at any age, even later in life, can significantly reduce your risk of developing the condition.

Secondhand Smoke and Vision

Secondhand smoke, is known to be incredibly dangerous to anyone around the smoker. It can also harm the vision of those around the smoker – this is most likely to affect infants and young children.

Smoking and Diabetic Retinopathy

Smoking increases the risk of developing diabetes by 30-40% and increases the progression of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes causes damage to the blood vessels in the retina, which then bleed into the eye. If not carefully managed, diabetes can starve the light-sensitive cells in the retina of oxygen and lead to blindness.

Time to quit?

There is some good news – smoking is the most preventable cause of vision loss, as you can choose to quit or never start. Even if you have been smoking for a long time, quitting at any age can significantly reduce the risk of health complications.

 

Get in touch with us on 0800 024 8888 for any eye related queries or book a consultation here.

Did you know… Smoking also affects your skin, and can accelerate the ageing process. To find out more about the effects of smoking on the skin, visit prema.co.uk or read this helpful article here: How smoking affects the skin
fred chow
fred chow
2023-11-24
Mr Tappin, top consultant and trusted surgeon for your cataract!
Jason Green
Jason Green
2023-09-06
Professional competent advice and absolutely no pressure to make a decision. I could not have predicted how much this procedure has changed my life in such a positive way. Thank you team.
Lelita Baldock
Lelita Baldock
2023-07-25
Dr Tappin and the team at LaserVision were amazing. I underwent Lasik corrective surgery and the process could not have been smoother. I was guided through the process with care and professionalism throughout. My results have been outstanding. I could not have asked for more from the team at LaserVision and I am truly grateful for my new vision.
Robert & Gia Anderson
Robert & Gia Anderson
2023-06-08
Utterly professional and caring from start to finish. I was quite nervous about having laser but am so pleased with the results. There has always been someone to advise and support every step of the way and patient care and well being really is the priority here. Thank you for looking after me and my eyes so well.
NewestToad
NewestToad
2023-04-24
Really excellent level of care from Mr. Rakesh - great communication, excellent standard of care, no complaints whatsoever, top notch service!
Christina Cook
Christina Cook
2023-04-17
Mr Tappin and his team are very professional and efficient. The whole experience from beginning to end was done with ease. I highly recommend.
Amanda Thorsen
Amanda Thorsen
2023-03-10
Dr Jayaswal has been amazing and changed my life. He made me feel so comfortable and relaxed in his care at the first meet, to remembering me with a personalised greeting, calmly explaining the procedure and reassuring me all the way through the surgery. I couldn’t recommend him enough for Lasik eye surgery - I now have perfect vision, a real dream come true! Thank you so much!
Nikki Blake
Nikki Blake
2023-02-02
Fantastic process from beginning to end - professional yet incredibly personable. The professional team, especially Mr Tappin, made me feel at ease throughout and the surgery was a great success.
April Dansie
April Dansie
2022-12-22
I had lens replacement surgery. After being both short sighted and long sighted for decades I can now see near and far without glasses or contact lens. It really is amazing. The care was great and so far the recovery has been easy.
George Judge
George Judge
2022-11-03
Amazing service from start to finish, I had LASIK surgery in August this year after years of consideration I finally took the plunge and went for the surgery with Mr Tappin. Mr Mike Tappin and his team were brilliant from the consultation right through to the surgery and aftercare. Mr Tappin and his team were very reassuring throughout the surgery and put me at ease every step of the way. If you are thinking about having laser eye treatment or at the start of your journey with it, I would highly recommend seeing Mr Tappin and his team!
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