| Smokers are aware
of the overall health risks of smoking but many
are blind to the fact that smoking can cause significant
damage and accelerate the ageing process of their
eyes.
Approximately 80% of the information received
by a person comes through the eyes yet 3.5 million
Australians are still risking their eyesight through
smoking.
Smokers are likely to develop cataracts –
a symptom of ageing – earlier and more severely
than non-smokers and may be exposing themselves
to eye diseases such as glaucoma and Graves’
disease.
Smoking can double the risk of some forms of
age-related macular degeneration, a disease that
can destroy your vision.
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Gerry & Johnson Optometrists
encourage patients to give up smoking for the
sake of their vision and overall health. We regularly
see patients in our practice who are completely
unaware that their smoking habits are impacting
on their eyes and vision.
“Most of us are aware that if we
choose to smoke we face the risk of cancer and
other serious diseases, but few consider that
this habit can degrade our eyesight"
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Aside from
irreparably destroying vision, smoking can cause complications
for contact lens wearers, can impair our night vision
and may even affect unborn children.
Smoking during pregnancy is associated with an increased
risk of strabismus in children – inward or outward
turning of the eyes.
Everyone should get their eyes checked once every two
years, and smokers who are worried about their vision
can also receive some support and advice about how smoking
is impacting their eyes and sight from our optometrists.
Vision is our most precious sense, so it is important
for people to understand the immediate and long-term
consequences smoking can have on their vision.
Smoking is the single largest cause of preventable
death and disease in Australia; equating to around 16,000
deaths each year.
For more information contact
our optometrists or call us on (07) 3210 1822
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