News

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Optometrists today warned that the relationship between smoking and sight loss is as strong as the link between smoking and lung cancer and urged smokers to quit for No Smoking Day (11 March 2015)[1].

According to research published in the British Medical Journal[2] as many as one in five cases of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the UK’s leading cause of blindness, are caused by tobacco consumption. This means smoking is currently responsible for 120,000 cases of AMD[3].

David Cartwright, chair of National Eye Health Week explains: “Despite there being a stronger link between AMD and smoking, than lung cancer and smoking Britain’s ten million smokers are largely unaware of the dangers. Fewer than 10% realise smoking can affect their eye health. This compares to 92% associating smoking with lung cancer and 87% identifying a link between smoking and the risk of heart disease"[4].

Smokers are three times more likely to suffer AMD than non-smokers and are likely to suffer from the condition earlier than non- smokers.

The average age for a non- smoker to develop AMD is 74.4 years of age. This is five years later than smokers whose average age is 69.2 years. Smokers are also likely to experience a more rapid progression of AMD and poorer treatment outcomes.

Tobacco smoke is composed of as many as 4,000 active compounds, which can damage the delicate surface and the internal structure of the eye.

Smokers are also at increased risk of other eye conditions such as nuclear cataracts; thyroid eye disease; dry eye and poor colour vision.

David Cartwright comments: “Having regular sight tests, once every two years unless advised otherwise by your optometrist, is vital for everyone but never more so than for smokers. Early detection of conditions such as AMD is essential to prevent avoidable sight loss.”

However there is some good news – if a smoker stops smoking the risk of losing sight decreases over time so the sooner they stop the better for their vision.

Download the National Eye Health Week Smoking and Sight Loss leaflet for more information about smoking and sight loss.

Smoking and Sight Loss Leaflet

[1]www.nosmokingday.org.uk

[2] British Medical Journal, Vol. 328, S. 537

[3] Calculated using Macular Society AMD prevalence data

[4]Perceptions of blindness related to smoking: a hospital- based cross-sectional study, G Bidwell et al.

Published : 9 March 2015