Boston Laser - If its LASIK, its BOSTON LASER
BOSTON EYE GROUP
617.277.4733
Smoking and Eye Disease
Tobacco smoking is directly linked to many adverse health effects, including high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. Smoking is also linked to specific eye disease.
How does smoking affect the eyes?
People who smoke cigarettes are at increased risk for developing cataracts, a clouding of the naturally clear lens of the eye. Cataracts cause a variety of vision problems, including blurry distance vision, sensitivity to glare, loss of contrast and difficulty seeing colors. When glasses or magnifiers are no longer helpful for someone with cataracts, or when cataracts develop in both eyes, surgery is the only option.
Tobacco smoking is also one of the preventable risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Studies have shown that current smokers and ex-smokers are more likely to develop AMD than people who have never smoked. AMD has two forms: dry (called atrophic) AMD and wet (called exudative) AMD. In dry AMD, your retina gradually thins. There is no proven cure for this type of degenerative disease. In wet AMD, new blood vessels grow in the retina, leaking blood or fluid, damaging the macula, the part of the retina responsible for your central vision. The two types of treatment currently available for specific forms of wet AMD are standard laser surgery and photodynamic therapy, both of which may stabilize the disease.
In people with high blood-sugar levels, some studies suggest that smoking may be linked to diabetic retinopathy, or damage to the blood vessels in the retina. The optic nerve is also susceptible to damage from smoking. People with poor diets who smoke heavily and drink excessive amounts of alcohol run the risk of developing optic nerve-related vision loss (called tobacco-alcohol amblyopia). Certain optic nerve problems run in families (called Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy). People with this condition who smoke have increased risk of vision loss. In some patients with thyroid disease (called Graves' disease) who also have eye involvement, smoking can cause the eyes to become worse, with vision loss possible.
People who do not produce enough tears to keep their eyes comfortably lubricated have a condition called dry eye. For these people, smoking is a significant irritant, worsening the symptoms of scratchiness, stinging or burning of the eyes, and excess tearing from irritation.
How does smoking affect fetal/infant eye health?
Studies have also shown a strong association between smoking during pregnancy and the risk of invasive meningitis during early childhood. The risk of bacterial meningitis is five times higher among children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy. In addition to other severe health problems, childhood meningitis can cause inflammation of the cornea and pink eye. Smoking during pregnancy is also associated with low birth weight and premature birth. And finally, oxygen therapy given to sustain the lives of premature infants can cause retinopathy of prematurity, causing permanent vision loss or blindness.
There are resources to help you quit smoking. There are numerous community organizations committed to helping people quit smoking. The American Cancer Society (ACS) offers smoking cessation classes around the U.S. Contact ACS at 1-800-ACS-2345 or online at www.cancer.org to find the chapter near you.
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An independent review of last year's results at the Boston Eye Group shows that 92%-96% of our patients were able to see 20/25 or better. 100% of patients were able to see 20/40 or better. This will usually enable you to pass a driver's license eye examination without glasses or contact lenses. Most patients are able to perform their daily activities and enjoy many sports with minimal, if any, reliance on glasses.
Affordable LASIK
Financing Options - 0% LASIK Financing in Boston
Contact us to learn more about Laser Vision Correction and other surgical treatment options to improve your vision. Our specialists have extensive experience and training, and our patients report great satisfaction with their laser eye surgery. Dr Melki is on the clinical faculty at Harvard Medical School and has conducted thousands of laser eye surgery procedures. Learn more about Laser Eye Surgery and financing options. We have a page on this website dedicated to discussing LASIK patient financing. You can even fill out an online application to qualify for LASIK financing. We offer 0% financing, on approved credit with low fixed monthly payments, no down payment and no pre-payment penalty.
Commitment to Quality
In addition to superior experience, ensuring the utmost success and safety during laser vision correction involves using state-of-the-art equipment and highly trained personnel. This is translated into a higher cost than found at the so-called "discount Lasik chains". We believe that our patients understand that a compromise on quality is unacceptable when it comes to one's vision. It is our commitment to best service and technology that determines our pricing model.
What is iLASIK?
Are you ready to reduce or eliminate your dependence on glasses or contact lenses? The iLASIK Procedure is the result of a decade's worth of technical refinement; it combines all of the most advanced all-laser LASIK technology in one efficient LASIK procedure... It simply doesn't get any better, so now is the time.
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Recent News
Dr Fava receives best paper award at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting
Dr Melki named in the top 250 intraocular lens innovators
Mass Eye and Eye partners with Boston Laser to deliver Cosmetic services in Brookline
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Video Center
- Jim Rice Former Boston Red Sox ALL-STAR gets LASIK with Dr. Samir Melki
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- Dr. Melki featured on WHDH Channel 7 news
- Fletcher from WFNX, has the lasik procedure at Boston Laser
Our web site was created as a patient education resource for any interested patient. Feel free to explore the entire website to get the answers to the questions that you have been seeking. If you have service, LASIK, cosmetic, or cataract questions call us we can help!(617) 277-4733