I confess to being a big brother addict, but I can’t say I’m liking the last few series, and in recent years, I’m starting to feel “too old” watching it. (Note to self.. ..if I ever get the time, I must find out the statistics of the demographics of who is watching it).
First off – 3rd place was Kim Woodburn! Who is voting for her? (Note to self.. ..if I ever get the time, I must find out the statistics of the demographics of who is watching it). Surely, she can’t have a huge ‘younger’ fan base and I wouldn’t waste my money on her, I don’t think it was nice or funny to watch, so in my view she should have been out much sooner.
2nd place – Jedward – that’s ok with me, they were to all intents and purpose, a joy to watch, they were bonkers but they did bring a smile to my face during the show, rather than sitting there cringing or feeling completely miserable as I sit there wasting an hour of my life watching these people scream, shout and swear. (Don’t even get me started on the foul language!) Irritating they may be to live with but brighten up the show they did indeed.
And the winner…Coleen Nolan – I’m ok with that, she’s a middle-aged (nearly 52) working mum going through the menopause, struggling with her weight and with her marriage in crisis. So, she was honest, normal and we saw and felt her ‘ups and downs’ in there. So – I hope she feels proud of herself but…… and here’s the BIG BUT, she probably should consider her health and her smoking.
Not to single Coleen out, I am upset at how much air-time the #CBB producers gave to the celebrity smokers. As a eye-professional, and hence with the knowledge that the impact of smoking on sight loss is huge, over 2 million people in the UK are living with sight loss and that number is set to increase to 2,250,000 by 2020 (RNIB).
The amount of money the NHS is spending on sight loss in the UK is almost £22 billion a year (RNIB).
I recently attended a training evening, in my own time, on the effects of smoking and sight loss, so let’s take this opportunity to remind ourselves of the dangers that smoking can do to our eyes.
The harsh reality is that smoking and sight loss is as strong as the link between smoking and lung cancer. But, awareness of this fact is low amongst Britain’s 10 million smokers at 9.7%, compared to lung cancer (92.2%).
One in six adults smoke, but whether they like it or not:
• Cigarettes contain 4,000 chemicals including tar, arsenic and ammonia. These chemicals get into the bloodstream of smokers, damaging the blood vessels inside the eye and the health of the cornea.
• Tobacco smoke, including second-hand smoke, is an irritant that worsens dry eye, a very uncomfortable eye condition that is most common in women after menopause.
• Smoking also raises the risks for cardiovascular diseases that indirectly influence your eyes’ health.
• I believe it also ages women in particular, around the top lip.
• Quitting smoking is the single biggest thing you can do to improve your overall long-term health – maintain good vision, prevent lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and keep those wrinkles at bay.
I do have a concern that the producers are glamorising cigarette smoking. In the last few series, most of the celebs seem to smoke, obviously, it’s ok to have one or two, but it seems to be virtually the whole house, my worry is that our younger generation who won’t be thinking about their vision or their health in their 70’s as it seems so far away – are thinking it’s ok to smoke, and eye professionals and the NHS are working hard to warn the public of the increases of the future risks for cataract and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), lung cancer, heart disease, etc.
Smoking and Sight Loss
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
The damage from macular degeneration limits the ability of a person to see what they are looking directly at (such as the face of someone they are talking to). Macular degeneration also limits colour vision. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world and affects 600,000 people in the UK. Smoking is a key factor for both ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ AMD.
Smokers are up to four times more likely to suffer AMD than non-smokers and are likely to suffer the condition earlier than non-smokers. The average age for a non-smoker to develop AMD is 74.4 years, and for a smoker, this is likely to be 5 years earlier at 69.2 years. They are more likely to experience a more rapid progression of AMD and have poorer treatment outcomes.
Cataract
Smoking increases your risk of developing cataracts as tobacco toxins cause oxidative damage to the lens protein. The risk of nuclear cataracts (those that form in the centre ‘ nucleus’ of the lens) is 3 times greater in smokers.
Sore, gritty eyes
Smoking increases the risk of thyroid eye disease – sore, gritty eyes – by up to eight times. This affects more than 400,000 people in the UK. The conjunctiva, which is the clear membrane that covers the sclera (the white part of the eye) and lines the inside of the eyelids – is sensitive to the chemicals in tobacco smoke. This can lead to a reddening of the conjunctiva, excessive tearing and general discomfort especially dry eye syndrome.
The good news is, it’s never too late to quit – however old you are or how long you have been smoking . The risks for these eye diseases becomes almost as low as for people who never smoked. However, some damage will have already been done, but at least it can’t get any worse.
What an investment it would be – You’ll have more energy, better circulation, improved sense of taste and smell plus good eyesight when it matters most in your senior years when reading and watching TV and other hobbies require good vision.
There’s never been a better time than the start of a New Year, or for the celebrities coming out of #CBB to have a fresh start and give up smoking – whatever they smoke! There is plenty of help available from stop–smoking services, pharmacists and your GP. A great place to start is the ONE YOU website and app.
In summary, we know in an ideal world Colleen and the rest of us middle-aged mums know we have to look after our bodies and our eyes. We need to eat healthily, drink alcohol moderately, exercise and have a good night’s sleep. We shouldn’t smoke at all. We should be setting a good example to our children and looking forward to being fit, healthy and well enough to enjoy our grandchildren.
So, start your New Year Resolution NOW, forget the complicated diets:- eat healthier, smaller portions and move that body!!
Sources
• Future of Sight Loss UK (1): The economic impact of partial sight and blindness in the UK adult population. (RNIB)
• National Eye Health Week Smoking and Sight Loss leaflet
• MECC (Make every contact count) training by Deryn Bishop BA PGD(Psych) Cert PH
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