Impact of Smoking on Visual and Auditory Reaction Time in College Students

Background– Smoking is a well-documented health hazard, linked to various diseases affecting nearly every organ in the body. While the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are commonly discussed about smoking, its impact on sensory functions, specifically vision and hearing, is less emphasized. Both visual and auditory systems are highly sensitive to oxidative stress and vascular damage, which are central effects of smoking. Smoking contributes to a range of sensory impairments, from subtle functional declines to more serious conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, and hearing loss. Objective: To measure and analyze the visual reaction time (VRT) and auditory reaction time (ART) in chronic smokers. This also helps whether smoking has a significant impact on sensory processing speed. Methods- 40 Subjects (Male and female) participants with smoked were recruited for this study. College students aged 18-25. Smokers who have been smoking for at least 6 months. Those Students with pre-existing visual or auditory conditions not related to smoking (e.g., congenital hearing loss, eye surgery) were excluded from the study. In this study, participants were initially asked to complete the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) questionnaire to assess the level of their nicotine dependence. After collecting the FTND responses, participants underwent assessments of their sensory responsiveness through Visual Reaction Time (VRT) and Auditory Reaction Time (ART) tests. These tests were conducted using a mobile-based software application designed to accurately measure the speed of response to visual and auditory stimuli. Results- We found that 67.5% of participants exhibited impairments in both visual and auditory reaction times. However, statistical analysis revealed no significant association between nicotine dependence levels (as per FTND scores) and sensory impairments. Conclusion- In conclusion, 67.5% of smokers showed impairments in both visual and auditory reaction times. However, no significant correlation was found between nicotine dependence levels and sensory impairments, indicating that tobacco exposure itself may contribute to these deficits.