Most patients unaware of risk smoking causes to vision

Most patients are unaware of the link between smoking and blindness despite a strong belief it causes harm among healthcare professionals, found a new study commissioned by eye hospital group Optegra.

The research, unveiled during National Eye Health Week, showed 70 per cent of UK adults did not know that smoking can lead to blindness.

Among healthcare professionals questioned, 82 per cent of optometrists said there was a link between smoking and poor eye health, and 56 per cent of UK general practitioners agreed.

They considered smoking the biggest cause of eye health problems – ahead of diet, genetics and UV rays. Smoking was cited as a greater cause of vision problems than a lack of regular eye tests among optometrists and GPs.