Tobacco-alcohol amblyopia: does it really exist?

Purpose Each textbook on ophthalmology in the 19th and the 20th centuries included a description of “tobacco-alcohol amblyopia”. In the last 200 years several thousand cases of “tobacco-alcohol amblyopia” were described, but the occurrence of the disorder has considerably decreased in modern times. Methods Review of the literature and described cases of the entity. Results By the end of the 20th century, a paradox had become apparent: the population of tobacco and alcohol users in some areas of the world continued to be very high, but there was a marked decrease in the incidence of the disease. Some believe that the disease never existed, some argue that it was a mismatch – or / and overdiagnosed. Conclusion The presentation is going to cover the present status of knowledge about “tobacco-alcohol amblyopia” and to finally give the answer whether such entity exists.