Several studies have proven that smoking can actually cause progressive vision problems and may eventually lead to blindness.
Age-related Macular Degeneration or AMD is a major cause of irreversible vision loss, especially among the elderly. Unfortunately for smokers, the risk of developing AMD can be doubled or more. This was revealed in The Journal of the American Medical Association in October 1996.
Smoking can cause poor blood flow to the retina, the light sensitive area of the eye, and low levels of antioxidants in the bloodstream. Both these factors contribute to developing AMD.
Because there are little options to treat AMD, quitting smoking is the main control measure at this point in time.
Smoking has also been linked with the development of cataracts. Cataracts causes the lens of the eye to become opaque (not allowing light to pass through) and this may result in impaired vision or even blindness!
Another aspect of vision is color perception. One study discovered that smokers who smoked over 20 cigarettes a day may have color perception deficits and develop problems such as color blindness.
**References
National Center For Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Journal of American Medical Association
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