Smoking can do serious and lasting damage to your eyes. Here‘s why.
Important points to remember:
— Smoking can hurt the delicate tissues in your eyes and raises the chance of problems like age—related macular degeneration and glaucoma.
— Secondhand smoke and the dust from cigarettes can make your eyes feel irritated.
— E—cigarettes might also affect eye health, but we don’t know much about their long—term effects.
Smoking can cause harm to many parts of your body, and your eyes are no exception.
The harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke enter your blood and can hurt tissues in your retina, lens, and macula. This makes you more likely to develop conditions such as macular degeneration and glaucoma, which can lead to permanent vision loss.
The connection between smoking and eye damage comes from the harmful substances in tobacco, which can cause inflammation in your eyes and throughout your body.
Nicotine also makes your blood pressure and heart rate go up, which can block the small blood vessels in your eye. This can lead to water building up in your retina, damage to your optic nerve, and a higher chance of glaucoma and age—related macular degeneration (AMD).
Even if you stop smoking, the lining of your retina can still be damaged, and the tiny blood vessels there might stay tight, said Dr. Gregg Feinerman, an eye surgeon.
This could allow waste to build up under the retina, which can turn dry AMD into the more serious wet AMD. People who smoke are also less likely to respond well to AMD treatments.
Genetics can play a role in up to 70% of AMD cases, and smoking can increase the risk of macular degeneration for those with certain genetic factors.
According to the Macular Society, a third of all AMD cases are linked to both genes and smoking.
«You can’t change your genes, so you need to focus on what you can control,» said Dr. Taariq Mohammed, a specialist in eye surgery.
«How much smoking increases your risk can vary from person to person. But no matter your genetic background, it’s wise to reduce or stop smoking as much as possible.«
Handling cigarettes can also cause some surface damage to your eyes.
The tar and nicotine on your hands can get on your contact lenses and make your eyes feel burning and dry, said Dr. Jacquie Bowen, who leads the American Optometric Association.
Constant irritation to your eyes can increase your chance of getting cataracts, as well as dry eye and uveitis, which is when the iris becomes red and inflamed.
Secondhand smoke can also lead to eye problems.
Handling cigarettes and being around smoke can irritate your eyes.
«The tar and nicotine can get on your contacts when you handle them, leading to a burning sensation and dry eyes,» said Bowen.
A study from Hong Kong found that children exposed to secondhand smoke showed signs of eye damage affecting the blood supply to the retina.
Even being around just one cigarette a day was harmful.
Smoking during pregnancy can pass harmful substances to the baby through the placenta, increasing the risk of eye problems in the child.
These can include crossed eyes and underdeveloped optic nerves, which is a main cause of blindness in children. Smoking during pregnancy can also lead to premature births, which increases the chance of vision issues in babies.
«Once the retina is damaged, it’s not very good at repairing itself, so any time someone smokes during their life can increase their risk of AMD,» said Bowen.
«Those people should be especially careful to have regular eye exams.»
What about vaping and smoking weed?
E—cigarettes and vaporizers work by heating a liquid that contains nicotine and flavoring.
The nicotine in these products can raise blood pressure and heart rate, which is bad for eye health. A 2017 study found that some chemicals in e—cigarettes can worsen oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which are harmful to eye tissues.
A more recent study found that people who use e—cigarettes may have moderate to severe dry eye and poor tear quality compared to healthy non—users.
E—cigarettes may also release formaldehyde, which is a known eye irritant and can be harmful.
Dr. Mohammed said the link between cigarette smoking and eye diseases like AMD is «very well studied,» but e-cigarettes are newer, and there isn’t much research on how they affect the eyes long—term.
«Some compounds in e—cigarettes and vapes have been shown in lab models to harm the retina and surrounding layers, so it’s possible they could also harm the eye, but we don’t know how serious it is yet,» he said.
There’s a bit more research on the effects of smoking cannabis, but the results aren’t clear.
Some studies found that cannabis can lower eye pressure, which might help with glaucoma. However, other research shows that cannabis can release inflammatory chemicals similar to those found in cigarette smoke.
While we wait for more studies, Dr. Mohammed recommends avoiding e—cigarettes and vapes.
Can You Do Anything to Reduce the Harm from Smoking?
The best step is to quit smoking completely.
«Stopping smoking at any age, even later in life, can greatly reduce your risk of developing these conditions,» said Bowen.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) suggest getting regular eye exams if you used to smoke or still do.
Since AMD often starts without clear signs, having an optometrist check your eyes yearly can help find the condition early.
To support your eye health as you age, Dr. Mohammed recommends eating a varied diet with antioxidant—rich foods like vegetables and fruits, which can help manage some of the inflammation caused by smoking.
Other healthy habits can also lower your risk of developing AMD.
These include:
— Exercising regularly
— Keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol levels normal
— Eating a healthy diet.