Current and past smokers appear to have a higher risk of developing late age-related macular degeneration than those who have never smoked, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.“Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) [a progressive eye disease that affects the central portion of the retina] is the leading cause of blindness in the Western world,” according to background information in the article. “In addition to smoking, AMD is postulated to share other risk factors with cardiovascular disease, such as elevated cholesterol level and hypertension. Smoking may also interact with AMD gene susceptibility and other environmental risk factors.”
