Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

How smoking harms vision and eye health

"Several ocular conditions are directly or indirectly related to smoking. For one, smoking is an established risk factor for cataract. Cessation of smoking appears to decrease the risk of cataract, but cataract risk among former smokers persists for decades. Formation of free radicals and lower levels of circulating antioxidants may initiate the ocular pathogenesis by oxidative stress. There is evidence of a dose-response effect of smoking on ocular morbidity.Other associated ocular conditions include age-related macular degeneration, dry eye disease, diabetic retinopathy, ocular ischemic syndrome, retinal vascular occlusions, anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, thyroid eye disease and metastatic carcinoma of the uvea."
- Source: By Carlo J. Pelino, OD, and Joseph J. Pizzimenti, OD, Review of Optometry

Nicotine Use That's Safer Than Smoking

"Tobacco combustion products but not oral tobacco use appears to be associated with macular degeneration. This suggests that nicotine exposure is not a major risk for ARM."
- Citation: Mark W Swanson; Tobacco Combustion and Orally Delivered Tobacco in Macular Degeneration. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2014;55(13):663.

Nicotine, administered as an intravitreal injection or topical eye drop, significantly inhibits the development of experimental myopia.
- Citation: Thomson K, Karouta C, Ashby R. Administration of Nicotine Can Inhibit Myopic Growth in Animal Models. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2024 Sep 3;65(11):29. doi: 10.1167/iovs.65.11.29. PMID: 39292451; PMCID: PMC11412605.
  - Acknowledgement: Funded by ANU Connect Ventures through a Discovery Translation Fund grant (Project ID: DTF311).

Acute administration of nicotine patches produced rapid eye movement sleep (REM) increases in non-smoking major depressed patients as well as clinical improvement in mood. Antidepressant effect was also observed after four continuous days of nicotine administration. (NOTE: Study consisted of 15 people)
- Citation: Salin-Pascual R. J. (2002). Relationship between mood improvement and sleep changes with acute nicotine administration in non-smoking major depressed patients. Revista de investigacion clinica; organo del Hospital de Enfermedades de la Nutricion, 54(1), 36–40.