It’s a known fact that smoking is harmful to your lungs and heart. However, according to the American Optometric Association, cigarettes also increase your risk of getting several types of ocular disease. Here’s what you should know about how lighting up makes vision worse, the conditions you may develop, and why seeing an eye doctor can help convince you to quit. 

Effects of Smoking on Vision 

The chemicals in cigarettes constrict and damage blood vessels, which reduces oxygen to the eyes. This effect negatively impacts eye cell health and decreases the ability of the cells to heal on their own. Research suggests that chronic smoking increases dry eye and reduces corneal thickness and spatial vision. It also causes optic nerve damage. Due to these effects, many common ocular diseases have been linked to the regular consumption of cigarettes. 

Ocular Diseases Caused by Smoking 

No matter how old you are, smoking can lead to cataracts and central vision loss from macular degeneration. Cataracts cloud ordinarily clear eye lenses, which leads to chronic blurry vision. While they are treatable, they might return if you keep smoking. Your eye doctor can slow the progression of macular degeneration, but it is incurable. 

Other ocular diseases caused by smoking include glaucoma and dry eye syndrome. After nerve damage affects the eyes, glaucoma leads to slow vision loss and may call for interventions like medication and surgery. Dry eye syndrome is not only uncomfortable but could require medicine, tear duct plugs, or glasses to avoid symptoms and help you see better. 

If you have diabetes, you are also more likely to develop diabetic retinopathy. Affected patients report problems with blurry vision and difficulty perceiving colors. It’s possible to go blind without surgery.  

Quitting smoking now will help reduce your chances of developing conditions like cataracts or macular degeneration. If you need more convincing, an eye exam by an optometrist will evaluate your current vision health and determine if any early signs of disease are present. Optometrist Daniel J. Kroger OD in Butler County, OH, has over 25 years of experience providing vision care for smokers. To schedule an appointment to evaluate your risk for ocular disease, call (513) 777-3936, or visit them online to learn more about their services.