The Effects of Smoking on Your Eyes

Most people know that smoking is bad for the lungs and heart. Do you know the negative effects of smoking on your eyes? At every eye exam your doctor will ask you questions that, at first, may not seem related to your vision: Do you exercise? How much do you smoke? Does anyone else in your home smoke? How long ago did you quit? These questions give doctors valuable clues to the health of your eyes.

Medical Effects of Smoking on Your Eyes

Although cataracts are a natural part of aging, smoking increases the chances of developing cataracts by up to three times, according to the New York Department of Health. This means that the one disorder you are most likely to develop naturally becomes even more likely when you light up.

Another one of the unpleasant effects of smoking on your eyes is high blood pressure, which directly affects the eyes. High intraocular pressure (IOP) goes hand-in-hand with high blood pressure—a huge determinant in the risk for glaucoma.

Smoking also increases the risk of complications from macular degeneration and dry eye syndrome. These disorders can often be treated, but as with any medical treatment, success is never guaranteed.

Effects of Smoking on Your Skin

A less serious but much more visible effect of smoking is the change in your eyes' outward appearance. Smoking causes skin to wrinkle, bag, and sag. The nicotine in cigarettes affects the collagen and elastin in your skin, according to the Mayo Clinic. When these elements break down, wrinkles and sagging occur. Additionally, many smokers purse their lips around the cigarette and squint their eyes to keep the smoke and heat out. These two habits lead to wrinkles around the eyes and lips as well.

Eye disorders often occur naturally with age, but there are behaviors that people can control to increase or reduce their risk of developing them. The good news is that there's hope. Smoking is a voluntary trigger in a list of risk factors; gender, genes, and ethnicity for instance, are all out of our control. Woodhams doctors are equipped to diagnose each condition early. Even if you've smoked for years, quitting now improves your health and decreases any adverse effects you have built with years of tobacco use.