Can Smoking Effect My EyeSight?

smoking can cause macular degeneration

When a smoker lights up a cigarette and inhales, it releases up to 4000 chemicals into the blood system which supplies the entire body with essential nutrients and oxygen. This in turn can cause damage to the eye.

Smoking can also cause the thinning of the fragile membrane that covers the eye, (conjunctiva) resulting in eye irritation and blood spot. Age-related macular degeneration and other known diseases have also been associated with smoking. How one Develops macular degeneration is still uncertain and the causes not fully known , but cigarette smoking is believed to be a major contributor to the condition. Smoking can cause the rise of intraocular pressure which in turn can lead to glaucoma and  optic nerve damage.


Eventhough smoking is associated with some eye diseases and conditions, including nuclear cataract and thyroid eye disease. One of the most common causes of blindness relating to cigarette smoking is age related macular degeneration. This degenerative disease results in the irretrievable loss of central vision.

What does smoking do to my eyes?

When you inhale the cigarette smoke, the chemicals are released into the blood system, they travel throughout your body supplying all your organs. The for mentioned chemicals can cause damage to the macula. Tiny blood vessels can burst through the Macula (located near the center of the retina), leading to catastrophic damage which can cause the cells of the macula to die. These conditions can lead to total loss of vision.

This damage is permanent and irreversible. High tech laser treatment is not an option to treat the condition because the Macula is such a sensitive part of the Retina.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) in a new treatment which can reduce the damage of loss of vision, but people suffering with macular degeneration will not benefit from this form of treatment.

If you refrain from smoking altogether your chances and risk of getting this disease are considerably diminished. The Human eye is a fragile and very sensitive organ and when damage occurs from smoking related conditions, it is usually irreversible.

Can Smoking Effect My EyeSight?