[Medical Q&A] Can smoking also cause eye diseases?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Xiao Dan, Researcher, China-Japan Friendship Hospital

It is an indisputable fact that smoking is harmful to the lungs, but in fact, smoking is also harmful to eyesight and increases the risk of eye diseases such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in the world, and its main pathological changes are lens opacity and degeneration. Tobacco's harmful substances can affect the oxidation-antioxidation status of the lens, inhibit endogenous antioxidant pathways, increase additional oxidative stress burden, further damage the function of the lens, and lead to lens opacity. Age-related maculopathy is a disease that affects the central area of ​​the retina (macula), which can lead to gradual loss of central vision. Tobacco's harmful substances can damage retinal blood vessels, reduce blood flow, and lead to ocular ischemia. They can also increase oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, reduce the concentration of plasma antioxidants, and accelerate the degeneration of the macular area. Among the various pathogenic factors of age-related maculopathy (such as age, genetics, diet, environment, etc.), smoking is the only definite controllable risk factor. From this point of view, smoking can cause a variety of eye diseases. Quitting smoking and avoiding long-term exposure to tobacco smoke can help reduce the risk of eye diseases.