It's widely known that smoking can cause cancer, but many people don't know it also increases your risk for several other health problems. Among those are several conditions that affect your vision. Here are the top reasons your eye doctor is concerned about tobacco use.

Why Your Eye Doctor Wants You to Quit Smoking

1. Cataracts

Cataracts are clouded areas in your eye that can affect your vision. Smoking significantly increases your chance of developing cataracts as you age, especially nuclear cataracts, meaning those which affect the center of your eye's lens. Unless treated with cataract surgery, they can cause major vision loss and legal blindness.

2. Macular Degeneration

This condition affects your retinas, the parts of your eye responsible for receiving light and sending signals along the optic nerve to your brain. When macular degeneration strikes, it causes a loss of central vision, the part that is used to look directly at objects. Smoking is the number one controllable risk factor for macular degeneration due to the toxic chemicals found in cigarettes.

3. Optic Nerve Damage

Tobacco is a contributing factor in nutritional optic neuropathy, formerly called tobacco-alcohol amblyopia. This is a rare condition that damages the ocular nerve. Like macular degeneration, this is likely caused by toxins present in tobacco combined with nutrient deficiencies due to a poor diet. This condition causes gradually increasing vision symptoms, which can worsen to severe vision loss over time.

If you have concerns about your vision due to smoking or other factors, make an appointment with an eye doctor at Medical Eye Center in Columbia, MD. Their six experienced eye doctors serve Howard County with eye exams, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and vision correction. They focus on providing a holistic approach to vision treatment so that you'll feel better as well as seeing better. To schedule, call (410) 997-9900 or send a message online.