An evaluation of the young people's knowledge regarding the ophthalmic effects of smoking
E Kanonidou1, V Konidaris, C Kanonidou
1Department of Ophthalmology, General Hospital of Veria, Veria, Greece. evkanon@hotmail.com
Purpose:
To assess the young people's knowledge regarding the ophthalmic effects of smoking.
Methods:
198 students (111 males and 87 females) with a mean age of 27 years old (+/- 6 years) participated in the study. A simple questionnaire was used and the participants were requested to fill out the questionnaire themselves.
Results:
77% (152) of the participants were smokers. 67% (130) have never heard about the adverse effect of smoking to the eyes. 87% (172) have not heard about the relationship between smoking and thyroid eye disease. 84% (166) were not aware that smoking could ccontribute to the formation of cataract. 50% (99) have no knowledge about the association between smoking and age-related macular degeneration. 80% (158) were unaware that smoking is a risk factor for visual loss.
Conclusions:
The level of knowledge of young people regarding the ophthalmic effects of smoking is not satisfactory. There is an urgent need to promote the awareness of the population regarding the adverse effect of smoking on visual function.
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