Smoking is associated with a number of eye diseases some of which even lead to loss of sight. The earlier the smokers Quit smoking cigarettes the better are their chances of having healthier eyes.
Graves’ disease is a disorder in which the thyroid gland becomes overactive and secretes too much of thyroid hormone. This affects many parts of the body but the most affected are the eyes. It leads to many serious eye complications like protrusion of the eyes, double vision, eye muscle abnormalities and even permanent blindness. The Graves’ patients who smoke are eight times more susceptible to eye complications as compared to the non-smokers. The eye symptoms are also found to be more severe in smokers. The increased risk of eye involvement in Graves’ disease could be due to the smoking induced impairment of the immune system. Smoking also interferes with the production of the T cells in the immune system which causes the body to produce other kinds of cells which triggers inflammatory reactions in various parts of the body including eyes.
Smoking is also known to be related to Age related Macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is the damage of the macula which is a small central area of the retina at the back of the eye. It is this part which helps people to see fine details clearly. Damage to the macula makes the vision blurred and dark in the center while the peripheral vision remains normal. There is no effective treatment for this condition but the most effective controllable risk factor is to quit smoking cigarettes. Smokers are at an increased risk of developing a serious form of macular degeneration called exudative macular degeneration which leads to a rapid and serious loss of vision. There is an abnormal formation of blood vessels at the back of the eye which sometimes leak fluid or blood and blur central vision. Smokers are not only more susceptible to this form of macular degeneration but also suffer relapse after palliative laser treatment.
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