The increase of both intra ocular pressure and arterial blood pressure was due to nicotine, the principal constituent of cigarette. It is recommended that health care workers should check regularly the IOP and BP of their cigarette smoking patients for early diagnoses of ocular hypertension (glaucoma) and hypertension.

Results: Current smokers (15.8% of participants) had slightly higher mean intraocular pressures (16.34 mm Hg) than nonsmokers (16.04 mm Hg). Intraocular pressure (in the right eye) was significantly associated with current smoking, after adjusting for age and sex (P = 0.03).

In addition, trabecular meshwork cells (TMC) and retinal ganglion cells (RGC) damage, involving inflammation and apoptosis mechanisms, has been proven in glaucoma, and it has been demonstrated how smoking can cause high oxidative stress because of oxidizing agents that produce free radicals.

As the principal overseer of the patient’s ocular health, the primary care optometrist has a unique opportunity to identify and explain the ocular manifestations of cigarette smoking.

Yes, your doctor can tell if you smoke occasionally by looking at medical tests that can detect nicotine in your blood, saliva, urine and hair. When you smoke or get exposed to secondhand smoke, the nicotine you inhale gets absorbed into your blood.

Some patients are reluctant to disclose they vape, particularly when they’re using THC. And many are often accompanied by their parents on doctors’ visits, making disclosure all the more unlikely in some cases.

Smoking/vaping: Smoking or vaping dries out the tissues in your mouth and causes your mouth to produce less saliva. Saliva is what keeps your mouth clean and healthy so when you don’t produce enough saliva, bacteria builds up in your mouth and causes bad breath.

Over time, as you refrain from smoking, secondhand smoke, and any other lung pollutants such as vaping or poor air quality, your lungs will begin to heal themselves.

1: Vaping Is Less Harmful Than Smoking, but It’s Still Not Safe. E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.

The orosensory responses elicited by nicotine are relevant for the development and maintenance of addiction to tobacco products. However, although nicotine is described as bitter tasting, the molecular and neural substrates encoding the taste of nicotine are unclear.

But what makes nicotine so addictive? Consuming nicotine—through regular cigarettes or vaping—leads to the release of the chemical dopamine in the human brain. As with many drugs, dopamine prompts or “teaches” the brain to repeat the same behavior (such as using tobacco) over and over.

Nicotinic stomatitis (smoker’s palate) Nicotinic stomatitis usually goes away once the person stops smoking. The top of the mouth returns to how it should look within 1-2 weeks of stopping smoking.

Smoking also stains the teeth and can cause bad breath. In some smokers, the tongue can develop a condition known as black hairy tongue, due to a growth that may grow as a result of tobacco use. The condition causes the tongue to become yellow, green, black, or brown, and give the appearance of being hairy.

Practicing good oral hygiene is the best way to treat black hairy tongue. Gently brush your teeth twice a day with a soft toothbrush. Also, brush your tongue. You can use a tongue scraper to make sure you’re thoroughly cleaning the area.