Smoking causes a series of eye diseases.

Cataract

Cataracts (clouding of the lens) are one of the leading causes of blindness. More than 74% of blind people in Vietnam are due to cataracts (2016). Studies show that smokerscigarettesmokers are twice as likely to develop cataracts as nonsmokers. The more cigarettes smoked, the greater the risk of cataracts.

Macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a loss of central vision (macular area) due to damage to the retina in people over 50 years of age. Although peripheral vision is still good enough for other daily activities to continue normally, activities such as driving and reading will be affected. AMD is usually caused by aging of the light-sensitive cells in the macula, or by abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye that cause blood and protein to leak into the macula.

Researchers have warned that smokers may be three times more likely to develop AMD than those who have never smoked. And female smokers over the age of 80 are 5.5 times more likely to develop AMD than non-smokers of the same age. It is one of the main causes of blindness in many people over the age of 50.

Uveitis

Uveitis is a common eye disease that can lead to complete loss of vision if not treated promptly. The uvea consists of three parts: the iris (which gives the eye its characteristic color), the ciliary body (which creates fluid inside the eye), and the choroid (the blood vessels that supply blood to the eye). When one of these three parts is damaged, it is called uveitis. The consequences can lead to diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, and eyeball atrophy.

A recent study shows that people who smokecigarettewere 2.2 times more likely to develop uveitis than nonsmokers.

Diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy damages the blood vessels of the retina and can lead to complete vision loss. It is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries and is becoming more common in developing countries. In the United States, more than 5 million people aged 40 and older have diabetic retinopathy due to type 1 or type 2 diabetes. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that number will increase to about 16 million by 2050.

Smoking can double your risk of developing diabetes. Smoking also increases your risk of diabetes complications, including diabetic retinopathy. Smokers are four times more likely to go blind later in life than non-smokers.

Dry eyes

Dry eye is a condition that occurs when tears cannot provide adequate moisture to the eyes. People with dry eye often experience burning, stinging, redness, and itching. Cigarette smoke is an eye irritant and can make dry eye worse, even in passive smokers (those who breathe in other people's smoke but do not smoke themselves). Smokers are twice as likely to develop dry eye as nonsmokers.

Eye diseases in infants

Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of many eye disorders in the fetus and newborn. If the mother smokes, it can cause the baby to have strabismus and poor optic nerve development. This is one of the leading causes of blindness in children. Women who smoke during pregnancy tend to give birth prematurely. Compared with full-term babies, premature babies are more likely to have retinopathy of prematurity or other eye diseases, the most serious of which can lead to blindness.