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The Damaging Effects of Smoking on Eye Health

[Voice of Hope July 6, 2023](Editor: Li Wenhan) Smoking hurts the lungs and hurts the heart. Indeed, with every puff of a cigarette, the hundreds of toxic substances in tobacco smoke begin to damage the lungs. Another reason to quit smoking now, smoking also affects eye health. Because these toxic and harmful substances inhaled into the lungs immediately enter the blood and reach all organs of the body. Therefore, smoking can damage almost any organ, including our eyes.

Worldwide, at least 2.2 billion people have impaired near or distance vision. However, at least 1 billion of these suffer from preventable or untreated vision impairment, including cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and more. You may not think that smoking is a risk factor for visual impairment and blindness, and is closely related to the development of these eye diseases.

cataract, cataracts are usually characterized by a clouding of the lens that, over time, causes progressively blurred vision. Cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss in older adults and also contribute to an increased risk of falls. Most cataracts develop with age and are influenced by a variety of factors including tobacco use.

cataract (pixabay)

macular degenerationMacular degeneration is a common eye disease, especially in the elderly, that can severely and irreversibly damage vision, affecting the ability to read, drive, face and color recognition, and finely observe objects.

Smoking is a major modifiable risk factor for macular degeneration; smokers may have a 2- to 4-fold increased risk compared with never-smokers.

glaucoma, glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy that causes gradual loss of vision and is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. Studies have found that smoking may increase the risk of developing glaucoma compared with people who have never smoked.

On the one hand, smokers have a higher risk of eye disease compared with never smokers, and this higher risk is even more pronounced among current smokers compared with ex-smokers.

On the other hand, quitting smoking can also reduce the risk of developing other chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which also lead to impaired vision.

Not only that, but tobacco smoke can irritate the eyes and worsen ocular symptoms (such as dry eye syndrome) in exposed non-smokers, especially those who wear contact lenses. Therefore, quitting smoking can also protect the eye health of others.

Dry Eye Syndrome (photoAC)

Let the eyes “move” by doing some simple eye activities, such as turning the eyeballs clockwise and counterclockwise 10 times after closing the eyes, which can relax the eye muscles and relieve eye fatigue.

At the same time, looking into the distance can also effectively relax the eyes. After sitting for a long time, you can also stand up and do 10 jumping jumps, and then do 10 hard eyelid closing and opening, and you can also use your head to write “米字” to move your cervical spine.

In addition, when carrying out daily regular physical activities, you can also choose to play ball games, so that the eyes can continuously relax and contract the eye muscles when the eyes are following the target, improve the blood perfusion of the eyes, and promote the metabolism of the eyes.

Ensure eye nutrition supply Balanced nutrition is beneficial to eye health. Protein, vitamin A, vitamin B1, calcium, selenium, etc. are all nutrients that are beneficial to the eyes.

Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, such as broccoli, carrots, spinach, lettuce, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries, etc., and eat less sweet and spicy food.

Broccoli (photoAC)

Cultivate good eye habits When using electronic products, pay attention to the appropriate light in the environment, not too dark or too dazzling; maintain a correct sitting posture, and keep a distance of 1 foot when using the eyes at close range; pay attention to eye hygiene, and use electronic products 20 After 10 minutes, looking 20 feet (6 meters) away for no less than 20 seconds can relieve eye fatigue; get enough sleep to rest your eyes and body; getting enough sleep is also one of the techniques for caring for your eyes. Go to bed on time, ensure 7 to 8 hours of adequate sleep every day, and pay attention to work and rest time.

Editor in charge: Li Zhi

This article or program is edited and produced by Voice of Hope. Please indicate Voice of Hope and include the original title and link when reprinting.

2023-07-06 08:44:44

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