Nicotine is Poison for the Eyes

One of the most dangerous eye diseases is age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is the most common cause of severe visual impairment, including loss of central visual acuity, in Germany. In the later stages of this retinal disease, it is no longer possible to read or recognize faces. Not all factors that lead to AMD are known yet. What is quite certain, however, is that nicotine significantly increases the risk.

Goodbye to the blue haze

“Many people who smoke are unaware that the habit they have grown fond of endangers their eyesight. Nicotine is poison for the eyes, and a very dangerous one at that,” says Professor Dr. Bernd Bertram, second chairman of the Professional Association of Ophthalmologists (BVA). Scientific investigations show that smokers in the comparison to nonsmokers a at least twice as high risk carry to develop AMD and in the worst case their eyesight to lose. You can do a lot yourself to preserve your eyesight into old age:

  • Nicotine renunciation
  • Healthy diet
  • Sun protection for the eyes and
  • Precautionary examinations at the ophthalmologist.

These examinations serve the early detection of those particularly dangerous eye diseases, of which you yourself only notice something when you no longer see much. In addition to AMD, this also includes glaucoma (glaucoma).

Early diagnosis – successful therapy

AMD occurs in two forms: 80 percent of patients suffer from dry AMD. Their central visual acuity gradually decreases, but their orientation ability remains intact. The course of this form of the disease can be favorably influenced by the ophthalmologist – depending on the stage – by recommending a certain combination of vitamins and minerals. No other effective therapy is known so far. The rarer wet AMD progresses aggressively: The central visual acuity decreases rapidly, the patient soon can no longer read or recognize faces. Pathological vessels have formed under the macula, destroying the central visual cells. Early detection has fateful significance. In addition to previous laser therapies, new treatment options have been available since 2005. By injecting agents that inhibit vessel growth, vision loss can be significantly slowed, halted, or sometimes partially reversed. The decisive factor is the right timing. Modern diagnostics enable the ophthalmologist to determine it beyond doubt and to determine treatment intervals precisely.