Blinded by smoke
Two independent Boston-based research teams have linked cigarette smoking to age related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness among older people. People who smoked 25 cigarettes a day suffered from AMD two and a half times more the rate as non-smokers. Even those who quit smoking developed the condition at twice the rate of non-smokers. A pack-a-day smokers, developed AMD two to three times the rate of non-smokers.