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Did you know the link between smoking and sight loss is as strong as the link between smoking and lung cancer? To mark National No Smoking Day (8 March 2017) we're highlighting twenty ways smoking can affect your vision and eye health.

#1 Tobacco smoke causes biological changes in your eyes that can lead to vision loss

#2 Cigarettes contain toxins that enter your eyes & increase your risk of sight loss by up to four times

#3 Tobacco chemicals damage blood vessels inside your eyes

#4 Tobacco chemicals interfere with the production of your tears

#5 Smoking causes oxidative stress and damages your retina

#6 Tobacco reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches your macula

#7 Smoking is a key risk factor for #AMD, the UK’s leading cause of blindness

#8 Research published in @bmj suggests 1 in 5 cases of #AMD are caused by tobacco consumption

#9 On average smokers develop #AMD 5 years earlier than non-smokers

#10 Smoking is a major risk factor in the development of cataracts

#11 The risk of nuclear cataracts is 3 times greater in smokers

#12 Smoking is a significant risk factor for developing diabetic retinopathy

#13 Smoking increases your risk of dry eye syndrome – the leading cause of eye irritation in over 65s

#14 Smoking is associated with the development of thyroid eye disease

#15 Smokers have increased prevalence of colour vision deficiency

#16 Nicotine poisoning can make it difficult to clearly distinguish colours with a red or green hue

#17 Smokers are twice as likely to suffer Uveitis than non-smokers.

#18 Smoking increases the risk of contact lens wearers suffering corneal ulcers 

#19 Smoking in pregnancy increases the risk of your child having a squint 

#20 Smoking around loved ones increases their risk of suffering sight loss

Say #eyequit today. For help to stop smoking visit quitnow.smokefree.org.uk

Published : 7 March 2017