Value your sight? Quit the fags

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness and smoking is the key preventable cause of this condition.

The 4000 or so chemicals in cigarette smoke find their way into the bloodstream and can induce damage to the macula (tissue near the centre of the retina which gives its name to the disease). This damage results in deterioration of these cells and can lead to blindness over time.

The condition is commonly referred to as AMD (Age-related macular degeneration).

• The primary method of AMD prevention is to simply avoid smoke

• If you are a smoker, take steps to stop now                                                          

• Smokers are up to four times more likely than non-smokers to suffer from the condition.

Public health experts at the University of Manchester stated in a British Medical Journal report:

“In Great Britain, an estimated 53,900 people older than 69 have AMD attributed to smoking.  Of that number, 17,900 are legally blind”.

Apart from a minority of cases detected in the very early stages, laser surgery cannot reverse the damage resulting from this condition, but it may retard or prevent the progression of the disease.

Often, those suffering from macular degeneration do not notice the symptoms until damage progresses to their second eye; in the early stages a healthy eye can compensate for the affected one.

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