Does Smoking Affect Your Eyes – Red eyes are a sign that someone is smoking marijuana. Also known as weed or cannabis, marijuana is a collection of dried leaves from the cannabis plant. There are different types of marijuana, each containing different amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in this drug. While red eyes from smoking marijuana is a guaranteed side effect for most people, others may experience this symptom less often. So why does weed make your eyes red?
The main reason weed makes your eyes red is because it lowers blood pressure and dilates blood vessels and capillaries – some of which are in your eyes (ocular capillaries) – increasing blood flow and making the whites of the eyes are red. This is also the main reason why marijuana is sometimes prescribed for people with glaucoma, which causes blindness related to high blood pressure in the eye.
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Does Smoking Affect Your Eyes
Depending on how much THC enters your bloodstream, the intensity of the redness in your eyes after smoking weed varies. A person can smoke a low THC strain of weed one day and have very little redness in the eyes, and the next day their eyes may be red after smoking a high strain of THC.
Smoking Harms Your Eyes!
Ok, so how long do your eyes stay red after smoking? Usually, marijuana red eyes can last from three to four hours after the person smokes.
Again, this depends on the amount of THC in your system. Not only do higher THC strains of red marijuana cause the eyes to last longer, but they also have a longer effect.
Since marijuana-induced eye redness is based on the amount of THC a person consumes, yes, you can get red eyes from edibles as well. Edibles are foods that contain marijuana, such as brownies or gummies.
To dispel a common myth, while we’re at it, it’s not the marijuana smoke itself that causes red eyes, but the dose of THC consumed. That is why it is also possible to experience this side effect when eating beets.
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Also, how quickly your eyes get red and stay red after eating an edible is different than when you smoke weed. When you smoke weed, it goes directly into your bloodstream, creating more immediate effects.
On the other hand, when you eat edibles, the digestive system has to process them in order to absorb them into the bloodstream. This means that while it may take longer for redness to occur in the eyes, it may also last slightly longer when consuming THC in edibles.
Despite the many supposed benefits of this drug, recreational use of marijuana is not recommended. While this may be suitable for certain medical applications, these are very different control and dosage situations than using weed bought on the street.
Marijuana can be deadly when mixed with other harmful chemicals, which is often the case with weed that is trafficked, sold, and bought illegally. Recently, a deadly and very powerful opioid called fentanyl has been used more often to lace weed, increasing the risk of overdose among users.
The Toxic Truth About Smoking
Furthermore, although cannabis is not as addictive as methamphetamine or heroin, it can lead to emotional and physical dependence. For example, you may use weed more often to manage stress or to help you sleep; it’s a form of trust.
Synthetic weed (Spice or K2) has also entered the drug market, contributing to more marijuana-related addiction and overdose cases. Fortunately, there is help available for those addicted to marijuana.
Our Massachusetts treatment center offers a variety of rehabilitation programs, including synthetic marijuana addiction treatment. Most of our patients begin their programs with a medically supervised detox, where they are slowly weaned off drugs and offered medication to alleviate withdrawals (if needed).
After detox, patients can jump into the counseling and therapy portion of their care, where they can learn relapse prevention skills, take advantage of our specialized programs and therapies, and receive guidance transitioning to a sedentary lifestyle after rehabilitation. Whatever substance use disorder you have, we can help.
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Alyssa is Banyan’s Director of Digital Marketing and Technology. After overcoming his own struggle with addiction, he began working in the treatment field in 2012. He graduated from Palm Beach State College in 2016 with additional education in Salesforce University programs. A part of the Banyan team since 2016, Alyssa brings more than 5 years of experience in the field of addiction treatment.
If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about or treatment centers, please fill out the form below and one of our representatives will contact you shortly.
Can You Take Xanax With Tramadol? Benzo Abuse, Clearbrook Pennsylvania Treatment Centers, Family Resources, Meth Addiction, Opioid Addiction, Painkiller Addiction, Personal Resources, Prescription Drug Abuse What To Do When My Partner Is Alcohol Abuse Centers Clearbrook Pennsylvania Treatment, Family Resources, Personal Resources Smoking can cause serious health problems such as lung disease and cancer. In a recent study, researchers found that heavy smoking can also damage the eyes.
The study participants included 71 healthy people who smoked less than 15 cigarettes in their lifetime and 63 people who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day. At age 25 to 45, they have normal or corrected-to-normal vision.
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The results of the study showed significant changes in the red-green and blue-yellow vision of heavy smokers. Compared to non-smokers, they also had more difficulty distinguishing contrasts and colours.
If you are a heavy smoker and have noticed some changes in your vision, now is the best time to get an eye exam. Eyes on Norbeck, trusted vision care specialists, shares more information about how smoking can affect your vision.
In a university news release, co-author Steven Silverstein, director of research at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, explains that cigarette smoke is composed of many compounds that are harmful to health. And based on their studies, chronic exposure to these compounds reduces the thickness of the part of the brain responsible for visual processing. This further leads to issues with visual discrimination and general visual processing deficits.
Smoking increases the risk of eye diseases such as dry eye, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, uveitis and Graves’ disease. If left untreated, some of these diseases can lead to blindness.
Why Cannabis Might Make Your Eyes Red
If you already have an eye condition, this should give you more reason to visit your optometrist or ophthalmologist regularly. Keep in mind, however, that an optometrist may have limited ability to treat eye diseases because they specialize primarily in correcting refractive errors. Ophthalmologists are doctors trained in the treatment and diagnosis of eye diseases.
For pregnant women, smoking affects not only the mother but also the baby. It can cause premature birth, which can lead to a serious eye problem called retinopathy of prematurity. Smoking also increases the child’s risk of developing bacterial meningitis.
Eyes on Norbeck offers a personalized approach to eye care. Our goal is for our patients to experience a better quality of life and better vision by providing quality eye care and eyeglasses. Call us at (301) 241-0553 or fill out our contact form to schedule a consultation. We serve clients in Potomac, MD, and surrounding areas. Research has shown that smoking and vaping can increase your risk of developing cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, dry eyes, diabetic retinopathy and optic nerve damage.
In this post, we will look at the link: smoking – vaping – eye health, and discuss what you can do to protect your eyes from the negative effects of these habits.
Why Is Smoking Bad For You?
Smokers have a 30-40% higher risk of developing cataracts compared to non-smokers. There are limited studies on vaporization, but inhalation of any smoke or vapor is known to harm the eyes.
Cigarettes and e-cigarettes can cause inflammation and oxidative stress in your eyes, which damages the lens and results in the formation of cataracts. They can also reduce blood flow to the eye, further contributing to the development of cataracts. Treatment for cataracts is a safe procedure and procedures where we replace a cloudy cataract lens with an intraocular lens.
Smokers were found to have a 2x increased risk of developing AMD and a 3x increased risk of developing an advanced form of AMD.
AMD is a leading cause of blindness in the elderly. We do not fully understand the exact mechanisms by which smoking and vaping contribute to the development of AMD. Toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke and vape aerosols are thought to damage the blood vessels in the retina, causing inflammation and degeneration of the macula – the part of the retina responsible for sharp central vision. Also, smoking and zinc can weaken the immune system, making the body less able to fight infections and inflammation.
How Does Smoking Affect Your Vision?
Smokers have twice the risk of developing uveitis compared to non-smokers, according to a study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology.
Uveitis is an inflammation of the middle layer of your eye (the uvea)
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