Smoking takes your central vision, which is the part you read with

Smoking is as bad for your eyes as it is for the rest of your body. The two
greatest threats it poses to eyesight are:

• Macular degeneration
• Cataracts

What "central vision" means

Age-related macular degeneration affects central vision — which is the
vision you use to see objects clearly, read, recognise faces and drive.

Peripheral vision can remain. The part that goes is the part almost every task
depends on.

The macula is a small part of the retina, the thin layer of tissue at
the back of the eye that turns light into signals for the brain. It is what
gives you sharp, central sight.

Two forms, one direction

**Macular degeneration always begins in the dry form, and sometimes progresses
to the more advanced wet form, where vision loss can be very rapid if
untreated.**

For wet AMD, eye injections are often the preferred treatment — a drug
that stops the growth of the blood vessels doing the damage. **You may need
injections regularly to save your vision.**

Which is why the next part matters so much.

The symptoms arrive late

**AMD often has no early symptoms, so an eye exam is the best way to spot
this eye disease early.**

**You may think your eyes are fine, and the only way to know is a full eye
exam** — where a specialist puts drops in to widen your pupils and look at the
back of the eye.

When symptoms do appear, they are:

• Blurred vision, or a blurry spot in your central vision
• Needing more light to read or do other tasks
• Straight lines that look wavy
• Trouble recognising faces

"Straight lines that look wavy" is the one worth memorising — it is specific,
it is not what anyone expects eye trouble to feel like, and it is not something
you would mention unless you knew it meant something.

Cataracts cause blurry vision that worsens over time, and **without surgery
can lead to serious vision loss.**

**The best way to protect your sight from damage linked to smoking is to quit
or never start smoking.**

*Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tips From Former
Smokers®.*