Say #EyeQuit for #Stoptober
Did you know the link between smoking and sight loss is as strong as the link between smoking and lung cancer? To encourage people to say #EyeQuit for #Stoptober 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
Get your free Personal Quit Plan at http://www.nhs.uk/smokefree to help you stop smoking for good and say #EyeQuit for good.
Published : 24 September 2017