California, January 05: The ophthalmologists at the University of California-Los Angeles have done a study related to smoking and its effects on the eye. They say that after 80 years there is an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration, due to smoking and this can cause damage to the center of the retina, which in turn, even cause blindness.
Due to smoking the smokers have an increase risk of this retina disease to the tune of 11%. Even though the age also plays a vital role in this retina disease, yet in the smokers the risk is more.” The take-home message is that it’s never too late to quit smoking”, Dr. Anne Coleman, the study’s lead author, said in a statement. “We found that even older people’s eyes will benefit from kicking the habit”.
Dr. Coleman and colleagues analyzed a study on 1958 women, out of which around 4% were smokers. They compared their retinal images at the ages of 78 and 83. And all the detailed findings will be detailed in the January issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology. “This study provides yet another compelling reason to stop smoking and suggests that it is never too late to quit,” said Dr. Paul Sieving, director of the National Eye Institute.
–Agencies–