Smoking increases eye disorder risk

Smokers have double the risk of suffering from a degenerative eye disorder, which is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine conducted a study on more than 4,000 Britons aged 75 years and older. The study showed that those who smoked were twice as likely to have age related macular degeneration (AMD) as compared to those who didn't. Smoking was associated with a two fold increased risk of developing AMD. AMD is an illness that blurs the central vision. It affects the macula, (the part of the eye that sees fine detail). It afflicts about 10 million to 15 million people in the United States alone. The risk of suffering from the illness increases with age. Researchers questioned people about their smoking habits, alcohol consumption and cardiovascular diseases. People who stopped smoking more than 20 years earlier had no increased risk of developing the illness. Based on the findings, the researchers estimated that smoking is likely to have a link with 30,000 cases of the disease in Britain. An increased risk of AMD, which is the most common cause of blindness in the United Kingdom, is yet another reason for people to stop smoking and governments to develop public health campaigns against this hazard.