Regularly taking class A drugs such as heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine could leave you blind, a new study has warned.
Researchers from Southern Illinois University Carbondale have looked at the effects of class A drug use in US military personnel, in which blindness is more common than it is among civilians.
In the study, the team compared dietary, lifestyle and drug use factors in 106 serving or former soldiers and 1,572 civilians.
The results revealed that those in the military were significantly more likely to use drugs than civilians, and were also more likely to report partial or total blindness.
However, those in the military were also more likely to have other risk factors linked to sight loss, including HIV positivity, high blood pressure, more years of smoking and lower levels of physical activity.
The researchers highlight several limitations in the study, including little information on the timing of drug uses, and cause of sight loss.
In the study, published in BMJ Military Health, the researchers, led by Justin McDaniel, wrote: “However, given the zero tolerance policy on drug use in the military, it is likely our military sample was composed entirely of veterans.
"This study indicates that self-reported vision loss among service members or veterans is more prevalent than among civilians with no military experience, and self-reported vision loss in military service members or veterans may be associated with severe or prolonged illicit drug use, such as heroin, methamphetamine, or cocaine.
"Given the relatively high prevalence of severe illicit drug use among service members or veterans compared with civilians, and the long term impacts on the eye, there is a need for medical and behavioural health programmes that provide vision screenings to drug-using veterans."
