Smoking raises risk of blindness
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By Patricia Reaney
LONDON (Reuters) - Smokers are up to four times more likely than non-smokers to develop a disease that is the leading cause of adult blindness, public health experts have said in the British Medical Journal.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an irreversible and progressive illness that robs people of their sight. Although its causes are unknown, evidence from three large studies shows smokers have a higher risk of suffering from it.
"Smokers are three to four times as likely to develop AMD," Richard Edwards, a public health expert at Manchester University, told Reuters.
In Britain an estimated one in five cases of AMD are attributable to smoking. AMD caused by smoking has impaired the sight of about 54,000 people and blinded nearly 18,000.
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