Smoking and Vaping and the eye
From an Eyes on EyeCare publication (link above and contents below) we learned more on vaping effects - and how they can be worse than plain cigarettes on uveitis - a form of inflammation inside the eye. My sense is that anything that flares inflammation is bad - not just for inside the eye but on the outside too (and likely everywhere else inside the body). Cigarettes have been found to make inflammation related to thyroid eye disease much worse (See my earlier posts on “TED” or Thyroid Eye DIsease: https://www.eyethera.com/blog/8lemgnwt0bqqd15fmqr9ljrkdfe420?rq=TED and https://www.eyethera.com/blog/revisiting-thyroid-eye-disease-another-look-at-ted?rq=TED and vaping has often been touted as a “better alternative” to cigarettes - yet many studies continue to dispute that.
From Eyes on EyeCare:
“Are e-cigs bad for my eyes?
A study recently published in Ophthalmology evaluated the association between electronic cigarette (e-cig) use and the development of uveitis.
Give me some background.
E-cigs are devices that produce a heated aerosol from nicotine-containing e-liquid.
Notably: A previous study found that the sputum from e-cig users contained increased levels of oxidative stress-related proteins that were implicated in the development of uveitis.
Now talk about the study.
In this retrospective study, investigators recruited 419,325 e-cig users and 419,325 non-users with a similar racial distribution to compare the prevalence of uveitis development. E-cig users were excluded if they had a previous history of smoking traditional cigarettes or comorbid conditions that may influence the risk of uveitis.
Primary outcome measure: The incidence of new-onset uveitis.
Findings?
E-cig users were associated with an increased risk for uveitis compared to non-users. Additionally: The risk for uveitis development continued throughout the 4-year follow-up period, suggesting that the effect of e-cig use on uveitis risk was both short- and long-term.
Traditional cigarette use was also linked with an increased risk of uveitis, but significantly less than e-cigs.
Further: Patients with a history of both traditional and e-cigs had a higher risk of uveitis than those who only used traditional cigarettes.
Limitations?
These included:
A lack of information on the duration and quantity of cigarette exposure
Researchers could not isolate the effect of secondhand exposure to vaping or traditional cigarettes
The retrospective design meant the direct causation between e-cig use and uveitis could not be definitively established
Take home.
These findings suggest an increased risk for uveitis in e-cig users compared to non-users. The study authors recommended that clinicians caring for patients with a history of e-cig use should be aware of the potentially increased risk of new-onset uveitis.”
A very good blog summary (not my own) of the general effects of vaping can be found here: https://www.doughertylaservision.com/vision-blog/short-term-and-long-term-side-effects-of-vaping-on-your-eyes/
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Jaccoma, call Excellent Vision at either of these two dry eye offices:
(1) 155 Griffin Rd, Portsmouth, NH 03801 (603) 574-2020
(2) 3 Woodland Rd, STE 112 Stoneham, MA 02180 (near Boston) (781) 321-6463