Views on Vision - by Dr. Charles A. Boulet

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Smoking Cessation


Do you smoke? Are you interested in quitting? You certainly have many good reasons to quit, including lung and respiratory concerns. Common sense also suggests that since the eyes are connected to the body, what you do to your body will also impact on eye health and visual function. In fact, I can generally tell if a person has been a smoker and how much they smoke based on the appearance of the eyes.

So, all that aside, about this quitting business. As an eye doctor, I'm concerned with the health and function of eyes and vision, and work to root out the causes of trouble with them. Smoking is such a pervasively poisonous activity and causes many problems that I (read 'the healthcare system') must deal with. It's a matter of closing the barn door after the horses have left. So, the best thing to do is to avoid trouble to begin with, but as any smoker will tell you, quitting ain't no simple thing. Even those facing a coronary bypass or lung surgery will struggle with this monster addiction.

For my part, I smoked for 20 years. In the end, 20 years of practice made me a rather competent smoker and I learned all the tricks of a true professional: Each and every moment and activity of the day was framed in the context of when my next puff would be; my life, as it turned out, was strictly designed to facilitate the feeding of my addiction. I would tell myself little stories like 'OK, after this paper is marked and this letter written, and after I make coffee and go to the bathroom, I'll step outside and have a smoke...'. Later, after the smoke, I would say something like 'ok, I'll get back to work, make a phone call or two, arrange a meeting then fix my computer and while I'm doing that, I'll have a smoke'. Sound familiar? Smoking became the punctuation that held together the sentence structure of my daily activities. Everything was about the smoking.

After several attempts over 20 years, I quit in 2002. Haven't looked back and I'm much better off for it. The whole process started with a simple premise: If I don't change the way I approach smoking, I will never stop.

I ended up developing my own smoking cessation strategy that, while it did not lead to 'cold turkey' quitting, it put me on a path that could only lead to the eventual reduction of the amount that I smoked to the point that I simply lost interest in it.

We are pleased to offer a no-charge smoking cessation program to our clients. It all starts with a general eye health and vision exam to determine what damage has already been done. The formal smoking cessation program starts from there and is done in clinic at a subsequent visit or at home via web-based readings and videos. It is non-threatening, but challenging as it forces people to start to think differently. One of the appealing aspects of the program is that it does not require people to quit. I know this sounds strange, but many people have followed this approach and have either totally lost interest in smoking or have greatly reduced the amount they smoke.

If I am to take care of your eyes and vision, it requires that I also address those factors that put you at risk. Smoking is a common severe risk factor for many eye and vision problems. If you are a smoker and have not had a comprehensive eye exam in some time, what are you waiting for?

For more information on help with quitting smoking, call for an appointment. You can also see the quit smoking program at www.LearningManagement.ca. Search for 'quit smoking' in the search box. The quality of the video is not great, but the program makes up for it.


Dr. Boulet is a former teacher and now operates Diamond Valley Vision Care in Black Diamond where he continues to work with children with learning difficulties.
Call 403-933-5552.
www.dvvc.ca and
www.LearningManagement.ca.