Corporate Fitness Products

Tobacco smoke is composed of as many as 4,000 active compounds, most of them toxic and potentially damaging to the eye. Smoking can cause or worsen several eye disorders, particularly  cataract and Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), and may lead to blindness.

BENEFITS OF STOPPING SMOKING - Stopping smoking can halt or even reverse damage to the eyes. In the case of AMD, former smokers have only a slightly increased risk compared with never smokers. Stopping smoking reduces the risk of developing cataracts. A U.S. study found that, compared with men who continued to smoke, those who had quit 10 years or less before study entry had a 20% reduced risk of cataract diagnosis.

CATARACT - Cataract is a loss of transparency in the lens of the eye. Untreated cataract will lead to loss of vision. Cataracts can develop as part of the normal aging process, but may be prevented. Smoking is a major risk factor. Compared with never smokers, smokers of 20 or more cigarettes per day are at least twice as likely to develop cataracts.

SMOKING AND DIABETIC RETINOPATHY - Smoking may accelerate the development of diabetic retinopathy, an eye complication associated with diabetes. In this disease, which can lead to blindness, the blood vessels that supply the retina are damaged by high blood sugar levels. When blood vessels become damaged, they may leak fluid or blood and grow scar tissue which can distort the images the retina sends to the brain.

THYROID EYE DISEASE - In Graves’ disease, the thyroid gland becomes overactive, secreting too much thyroid hormone. An eye disorder known as thyroid eye disease is a most serious complication. Protrusion of the eyes, double vision and loss of vision, sometimes causing blindness, can occur. People with Graves’ disease who smoke have a four-fold increased risk of developing these eye complications compared to non-smokers. Smokers also have a higher risk of more advanced eye problems. If you smoke, consider quitting. Helplines, counseling, medications and other forms of support are available to help you quit.

Source: http://old.ash.org.uk/html/factsheets/html/fact27.html

This entry was posted on Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 12:10 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.