Seeing Smoke: 4 Things Nicotine Can Do to Your Eyes

Having a cigarette in your mouth may make you feel like you’re part of a real-life western, but that cigarette smoke can also be damaging to your vision. Whether you smoke or you hang around a lot of second-hand smoke, this article will take a closer look at a few different conditions that your nicotine may be causing.

Glaucoma

If you think that you have to be living in a retirement community to get glaucoma, then you are sorely mistaken. Studies have shown that patients who smoke cigarettes are more likely to get glaucoma than patients who don’t smoke. By getting your eyes tested regularly, we can help to catch premature signs of glaucoma, which may prevent it from getting worse.

Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is a condition that causes the blood vessels in your retina’s macula to burst. When patients smoke nicotine, it increases the chances of these blood vessels rupturing, which means that you could end up with macular degeneration.

Cataracts

Although cataracts can be taken out and replaced with an IOL, they’re not something that you want to mess with. Studies have shown that people who smoke nicotine regularly are twice as likely to develop cataracts than those who don’t.

Dry Eye

Dry eye is easier for us to treat than both glaucoma and macular degeneration, but it can be a real nuisance to live with. Dry eye occurs when the tear ducts in your eyes are clogged, which make sit hard for your eyes to naturally lubricate themselves. Common culprits of dry eye include cigarette smoke because all of that smoke can clog your tear ducts and dry your eyes out.

To learn more, contact our Westborough office at 508-836-8733.