E-Cigarettes and the Eye

In the October 2023 edition of JAMA Ophthalmology, Dr. Anne Nguyen and colleagues reported ocular symptoms in people aged 13-24 years who used electronic cigarettes, cigarettes, or both. They found that users of both e-cigarettes and cigarettes were more likely to experience the sort of symptoms we associate with tear film dysfunction and eye surface disease than non-users.

This study provides information in an area of ophthalmology that has not been well studied to date–that is, the effects of e-cigarettes on eye health. I feel that the data supports the idea that cigarettes have more effects compared to e-cigarettes, but, obviously, more studies are necessary.