{"id":10728,"date":"2021-04-12T07:58:40","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T07:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=10728"},"modified":"2021-07-19T06:56:46","modified_gmt":"2021-07-19T06:56:46","slug":"smoking-and-glaucoma","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/glaucoma-guide\/can-i-prevent-glaucoma\/smoking-and-glaucoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Smoking and Glaucoma"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>We all know smoking impacts our general health, but did you know it can also affect the eyes?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>More than 1 billion people worldwide smoke cigarettes, even though it is known to have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-pediatric-eye-conditions\/what-is-myopia\/whats-worse-high-myopia-or-smoking\/\">serious consequences for our general health<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While most people are aware that smoking can cause pulmonary disease and cancer, far fewer realize that smoking can harm our eyes as well.<\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/does-smoking-affect-the-eyes\/\">Smoking<\/a> can increase the risk of developing several sight-threatening eye diseases<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>Contact an eye doctor near you<\/b><\/a> who can diagnose and manage eye conditions and diseases that may be a result of smoking.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/eye-conditions\/glaucoma-guide\/glaucoma-myths-and-facts\/\">Glaucoma: Myths and Facts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>How is glaucoma related to smoking?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases primarily caused by increased pressure inside the eye. The increase is usually due to the buildup of excess fluid inside the eye.<\/p>\n<p>The major concern with the increased pressure is the damage it causes to the optic nerve, which is the only connection between the eye and the brain.<\/p>\n<p><b>The increase in eye pressure leads to glaucoma, a sight threatening condition, resulting in permanent \u2018tunnel vision\u2019 and eventually blindness<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>A retrospective study published in 2018, found that the more packs of cigarettes regular smokers smoked, among regular smokers, the greater their odds are of developing glaucoma.<\/p>\n<p>The study found that the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) is significantly affected by smoking. The RNFL is responsible for collecting visual data from the eye\u2019s retinal nerves, which direct it to the optic nerve, taking the visual signals to the brain.<\/p>\n<p>Smokers in the study had a significantly thinner RNFL than non-smokers. A thinning RNFL is a symptom associated with glaucoma as well as some other eye conditions.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>Schedule an appointment<\/b> <\/a>with an eye doctor near you who can diagnose and treat glaucoma so that you can prevent vision loss.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Other eye conditions linked to smoking<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Glaucoma isn\u2019t the only eye condition linked to smoking. There are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/does-smoking-affect-the-eyes\/\">other serious eye conditions<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Cataracts<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Cataracts cause the eye\u2019s lens to become cloudy, leading to blurry vision. Once cataracts develop, they grow progressively worse and must be surgically removed to eliminate the cloudiness and restore vision.<\/p>\n<p><b>Smokers are\u00a0 at double the risk of developing cataracts, compared to non-smokers.<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><b>Age-related macular degeneration<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Another eye condition that smokers are at a high risk of developing is age-related macular degeneration (AMD).<\/p>\n<p><b>Smokers are 3 times more likely to develop AMD, which causes blind spots in the central vision.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>People with macular generation can find it difficult to watch TV, read a book, drive and recognize faces.\u00a0 AMD sometimes leads to total blindness.<\/p>\n<p>Diabetic retinopathy and dry eye syndrome are among other eye conditions that smokers are at a higher risk of developing.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Eye Exams are Essential<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Regular eye examinations are vital to catch any eye disease and conditions early, these will allow your eye doctor to take action and ensure you maintain good eye health<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>One of the best courses of action that any smoker can take is to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-pediatric-eye-conditions\/what-is-myopia\/whats-worse-high-myopia-or-smoking\/\">quit smoking<\/a>. This will not only improve their general health but their eye health as well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/eye-conditions\/\">Guide to Eye Conditions<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>Schedule an eye exam<\/b><\/a> with an eye doctor near you. If any eye problems are found, they will recommend the best treatment options for each type of eye condition, including glaucoma, allowing you to enjoy your clear vision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all know smoking impacts our general health, but did you know it can also affect the eyes?\u00a0 More than 1 billion people worldwide smoke<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9894,"parent":6853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[84,515,370,274,147,241,337,368,307,299],"class_list":["post-10728","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-adults","tag-amd","tag-cataracts","tag-dry-eye","tag-eye-exam","tag-glaucoma","tag-macular-degeneration","tag-retinal-disease","tag-smoking","tag-vision-loss"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Smoking and Glaucoma - 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