Winter Maladies: Natural Approaches
June Russell's Health Facts
Smoking - Eyes
Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for developing cataracts, and although Harvard researchers say that quitting the habit does help reduce cataract risk and damage to the lens, some damage may not be reversible. (Based on data from the Physician’s Health Study, in JAMA 2000, Letsliveonline.com Nov. 2000)
Cigarette smoking is the second leading cause of cataracts. Smokers have cataracts about 10 to 15 years before nonsmokers. Charlottesville Senior Center lecture on ‘Eyes,’ Dr. Richard Morton, Feb. 1999)
Cigarette smoking increases the chance of having cataracts. (“Addictive Substances: Nicotine,” Let’s Live magazine, Oct. 1996)
Cigarette smoking raises the risk of having age-related macular degeneration. (“New Ways to Protect your Vision,” The Johns Hopkins Medical Letter, May 1998)
Cigarette smoking raises the risk of macular degeneration, probably because it compromises the eyes’ blood supply. Those who smoked a pack or more a day had 2-3 times the risk. (“New Ways to Protect Your Vision,” The Johns Hopkins Medical Letter, May 1998)
Smokers are nearly 2 - 2-1/2 times more likely to develop macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness in the elderly. (SmokeFree Air, Winter/Spring -1997)
Age-related macular degeneration impairs the vision of an estimated 1.7 million Americans, and causes more new cases of blindness than any other ailment among people age 65 and older, according to the government. Smokers of a pack a day were 2.4 times as likely to develop macular degeneration than nonsmokers. The more people smoke and the longer they smoke, the higher their risk (JAMA). Years after quitting, former smokers still faced up to double the risk of getting the condition - the risks decrease very slowly. (USA Today Health, Dec. 1996)
Smokers who drive have a less field of vision than it would be otherwise. The carbon dioxide is probably the most devastating element in smoke’s grisly collection of chemical assassins. One reason is that no filter will trap CO, in fact, filters in cigarettes tend to increase the CO intake. (Pritikin Program for Diet and Exercise)
Smoking can affect your night vision, and some smokers tend to have a
narrower field of view. (“Smoke-Eyes,” Let’s Live magazine, June 1983)