The link between smoking & sight loss is as strong as the link between smoking & lung cancer.

Yet, worryingly, awareness of the link between smoking and sight loss, amongst Britain’s nine million smokers, is low (9.7%) compared to lung cancer (92.2%) and heart disease (87.7%)

Toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke can damage the delicate surface and the internal structure of the eye. This can lead to an increased risk of many eye conditions including age-related macular degeneration (AMD); nuclear cataracts; thyroid eye disease; dry eye and poor colour vision.

Smoking is a key risk factor for both ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ AMD. AMD is the UK’s leading cause of blindness.

Smokers are up to four times more likely to suffer AMD than non-smokers and are likely to suffer the condition earlier than nonsmokers. The average age for a nonsmoker to develop AMD is 74.4 years. This is five years later than smokers whose average age is 69.2 years. Smokers are also likely to experience a more rapid progression of AMD and poorer treatment outcomes.

Smoking increases your risk of developing cataracts as tobacco toxins cause oxidative damage to the lens proteins. The risk of nuclear cataracts (those that form in the centre ‘nucleus’ of the lens) is three times greater in smokers.

https://lookafteryoureyes.org/eye-care/smoking/