Smoking and Blindness

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A new study by the Jules Stein Eye Institute of UCLA indicates that quitting smoking reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration, which can lead to blindness.

"This is not a surprise, given the known negative vascular effects of smoking," says ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. "Cigarette smoking definitely plays a role in age-related macular degeneration."

"On the other hand, smoking actually reduces the risk of old-age itself," quips ACSH's Jeff Stier.

For more information on the myriad lesser-known health effects of smoking, see ACSH's publication Cigarettes: What the Warning Label Doesn't Tell You.