A study finds that even after age 80, smoking continues to increase one’s risk for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 65.
“The take-home message is that it’s never too late to quit smoking,” said lead author Dr. Anne Coleman. “We found that even older people’s eyes will benefit from kicking the habit.”
Age-related macular degeneration causes progressive damage to the macula, the center of the retina that allows us to see fine details. When the macula degenerates, people experience darkness or blurring in their central vision, preventing them from being able to read, drive and recognize faces.
After age, smoking is the second most common risk factor for age-related macular degeneration. This study sought to determine whether age influences the effects of smoking on age-related macular degeneration risk.
Coleman and her colleagues followed a group of 1,958 women who underwent retinal photographs at five-year intervals, starting with a baseline exam at age 78. Four percent, or 75 of the women, smoked.
The researchers compared the retinal images at ages 78 and 83 to check for the appearance of age-related macular degeneration, and evaluate whether smoking affected the women’s likelihood of developing the disease.
“Age is the strongest predictor for age-related macular degeneration, yet most of the research in this field has been conducted in people younger than 75,” explained Coleman. “Our population was considerably older than those previously studied. This research provides the first accurate snapshot of how smoking affects age-related macular degeneration risk later in life.”
Overall, women who smoked had 11 percent higher rates of age-related macular degeneration than other women their same age. In women over 80, however, those who smoked were 5.5 times more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration than women their age who did not smoke.
“We saw a slightly higher rate of age-related macular degeneration in women after age 80, but the rate was dramatically higher in older women who smoked,” said Coleman. “The bottom line is that age-related macular degeneration risk increases with age. And if you smoke, your risk of developing the disease rises even more.”
Cigarette smoking has been hypothesized to increase age-related macular degeneration risk by reducing serum antioxidant levels, altering blood flow to the eyes and decreasing retinal pigments.
“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.
References:
1. Anne Coleman, et al. The Association of Smoking and Alcohol Use With Age-related Macular Degeneration in the Oldest Old: The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. American Journal of Ophthalmology. January 2010 (Vol. 149, Issue 1, Pages 160-169) doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2009.07.025
