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Jul 19, 2021

Smoking and Dry Eye

By R. Morgan Griffin

Medically Reviewed by Whitney Seltman on May 05, 2021

Does tobacco smoke or even just the smell of it leave your eyes scratchy and gritty? You’re not the only one. Smoking is a common trigger for dry eye. You can try to prevent the problem. Or you can treat your symptoms when they happen.

When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Cigarette smoke has over 7,000 chemicals. Many of them irritate and damage your eyes. Smokers are twice as likely to get dry eye as people who don’t light up.

Why does smoke make the condition worse? Every time you blink, your eyelids coat your eye with a protective layer of tears. This keeps out dust and debris. But chemicals in smoke can cause this layer to break down. Without enough tears to shield them, your eyes get irritated. Smoking also seems to change the composition of your tears. This can lead to more symptoms.

Being a smoker poses the biggest risk. But just being nearby when someone else is lighting up can trigger symptoms. Some people with dry eye are very sensitive to irritants like cigarette smoke, and it doesn’t take much to set off their symptoms…….

Read more: https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/smoking-dry-eyes?fbclid=IwAR0NVdRx7fSxlbEUsUbFhsD1tP_3PHAXOBWYXAnzcwyxhsC9W0EzE7E1XO0

Source: Web MD

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