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From before birth to the end of your life, smoking has a radical, nasty effect on your life: not only your health, but your social and mental life as well.  It impacts every aspect of your life – your vision, your health, your happiness – from the time in the womb until your old age.
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You make bad health decisions every day – and you’re likely aware of them. You know the impact of two slices of cake after an already big meal, neglecting regular workouts in favor of a sedentary lifestyle, and drinking that second scotch sour. But what about the small choices you make every day that impact your eye health? Some bad habits you know, and you’re probably blissfully unaware of the others.

If you knew exactly how your bad eye care habits impact your vision, would you change your routine? Get ready to see clearly (the error of your ways). Read on to learn seven things you do every day that can damage your vision.

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Currently, most eye disease detection equipment is only available in an optometrist’s office. A new handheld optical device could allow general practitioners to quickly screen all patients for eye disease such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. These visually devastating diseases are most easily treated or controlled in their early stages. The new high-speed prototypes were developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The idea of a handheld, easy-to-use scanner is not new. However, the new device combines ultrahigh-speed
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Devastating eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy may be detectable sooner with a new camera being developed by ophthalmologist Jean-Daniel Arbour and Photon Etc. in Canada. The camera is designed to detect changes at the metabolic level, even before anatomical changes are visible. It uses hyperspectral photography, which utilizes all wavelengths to detect more details.

Current technology uses light to see the retina in the back of the eye, and the blood vessels flowing out of the optic nerve. But the disease
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The medications tested were proton pump inhibitors called Prilosec (Omeprazole), Nexium (Esomeprazole Magnesium) and Prevacid (Lansoprazole).

Acid reflux symptoms include heartburn pain, tightness in the throat, shortness of breath, or a feeling that something is stuck in the throat. Any suspected acid reflux symptoms should be examined by a physician. Up to half the US population may have acid reflux problems. Acid reflux can be triggered by certain foods (especially acidic or spicy foods), alcohol and smoking. Chronic acid reflux can cause cellular changes in the esophagus that could lead to cancer.
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 Patients can inadvertently overdose on the drug. Excessive acetaminophen can result in liver failure and the need for a liver transplant. In some cases, patients can even die from liver problems.

The FDA said there is no data showing the taking extra acetaminophen has any reasonable benefits versus the risks. Nearly half of acetaminophen-related liver failure in the US are caused by unintentional overdose from combination drugs. These drugs are often prescribed to patients who have acute injury pain, pain after an operation, or pain after dental work.
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The six patients had severe vision loss from choroideremia, a form of retinopathy that is genetic. The disease is fairly rare and manifests only in males. The cells at the back of the eye gradually die, leading to gradual vision loss and ultimately, blindness. Working copies of the faulty gene were injected into retina cells, along with a fluid to halt further degeneration.

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The Blue Mountains Eye Study looked at 354 people over aged 48 who had visual impairment from cataracts.  Some had already had cataracts surgery to replace the clouded cataract(s) and restore vision, and some got the surgery during the study. Within the group were controls who had visual impairment from cataracts and did not have the surgery. The researchers followed the patients for 15 years.

After adjusting for gender and age, the data showed a significant increase in longevity for the patients who had the surgery. This result persisted even after adjusting for tobacco use, BMI, certain heart problems, mobility, and certain major diseases that impact longevity. Accounting for the number of medications the patients were taking and using objective measures of frailty still showed the surgery had significant impact on life span.
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 Homocysteine is an amino acid that can be measured with a simple blood test. The study, which appeared in the Journal of Affective Disorders in August 2013, studied 358 people aged 50 and up who had symptoms of depression.

They gave the subjects cognitive tests that looked at immediate and delayed memory, as well as global cognitive performance. They measured
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Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. Fifty-one percent of blindness cases in the world are due to untreated cataracts, according to the World Health Organization. Surgery to replace the natural lens with a synthetic one is currently the most common treatment. The new research shows the possibility for more preventative and non-invasive options in the future.

The Mechanics of Cataract Formation

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