Dr. Grossman’s Blog

Painting of a retina with uveitis by Howard Bartner via history.nih.gov

As part of our Vision Wellness Protocol to prevent all eye diseases, we always recommend that you stop smoking.  Here’s another reason to quit: people who smoke are more than two times as likely to develop uveitis than non-smokers.

Uveitis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the eye that can result in severe and permanent vision loss. In addition, uveitis can lead to other ocular complications including glaucoma, cataracts, or retinal damage all of which can severely damage the eyes. Early detection and treatment is necessary to reduce the risk of permanent vision loss.

Uveitis can be a result of trauma to the eye, but often it is not possible to trace its cause.  But, as this study suggests, we may be able to add smoking to the list.  According to study author Nisha Acharya, MD, “Cigarette smoke includes compounds that stimulate inflammation within the blood vessels, and this may contribute to immune system disruption and uveitis.”

Source:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100301135215.htm

For more on uveitis, including how to prevent and treat it naturally, visit our website.

In a study of the impact of mothers’ smoking on their children while in utero, researchers found that maternal smoking increases the chances of the development severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in children..  A low birth weight, a long duration of artificial ventilation and oxygen supplementation, and the presence of chronic lung disease also contribute to ROP in infants.

Source: http://www.nature.com/eye/journal/v24/n6/abs/eye2009263a.html

For more studies on eye condition, please visit our website.

A recent study n the June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology shows that eating right can reduce the chance of developing cataracts in women aged 50 to 79.

Study authors state: “Diet was the strongest risk factor related to reduced risk of nuclear cataract in this sample of postmenopausal women… Smoking and obesity were also contributors. Lifestyle improvements that include healthy diets, smoking cessation, and avoiding obesity may substantively lower the need for and economic burden of cataract surgery in aging American women.”

Learn more about Dr. Grossman’s Vision Wellness Program! Click here.

Source information: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/723624

Researchers from Tufts University have created a model to better predict a person’s risk for Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). 

This study, published in the May issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, was based on data from the 1,446 participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS).  It shows how genetic, ocular, and environmental variables were evaluated and predictive models for prevalence and incidence of AMD were assessed. 

Researchers evaluated six criteria:

• age,
• sex,
• education,
• smoking status,
• body mass index, and
• supplementation with high-dose formulation of antioxidants and zinc (to slow progression of the AMD).

Although genetics play a large part in who will get AMD, there are lifestyle choices that can greatly influence a person’s risks for AMD.  Dr. Seddon noted that among individuals with one genotype studied (homozygous C3 risk genotype), the chance of suffering from the advanced form of AMD increased from approximately three times the risk for nonsmokers to almost 10 times the risk for smokers.

Study authors hope that learning more about how to predict who is at risk for AMD will give doctors and patients better information about how to better treat and even help prevent AMD.

Learn more about AMD and AMD prevention self-help tips

SOURCE:  Prediction Model for Prevalence and Incidence of Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration Based on Genetic, Demographic, and Environmental Variables, Seddon, et al, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2009;50:2044-2053.

Long-term heavy smokers have a 2.5 to 3.5 times greater risk of losing vision from age-related macular degeneration, according to medical geneticist John R.W. Yates, Ph.D., of the University of Cambridge.

A study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology shows a strong link between smoking and age-related macular degeneration.  The study also shows the risks associated with exposure to second-hand smoke.

Researchers conducted a case-control study in four British counties to determine the relationship between smoking and either of the two forms of end-stage age-related macular degeneration — geographic atrophy and choroidal neovascularization.

Between 2001 and 2003, 435 participants with age-related macular degeneration were compared with 280 controls.  Of the 435 cases, 261 had choroidal neovascularization, 106 had geographical atrophy, and 68 had a mixed phenotype.   Smoking status was assessed by a questionnaire; smokers were defined as those who smoked at least one cigarette a day for a year.

Scientists found a statistically significant association between age-related macular degeneration and pack-years of smoking. Pack-years were defined as the number of packs smoked a day multiplied by the number of years smoked.

Specifically, for 40 or more pack-years:

• The risk was almost triple, compared with non-smokers, for age-related macular degeneration
• For choroidal neovascularization, the risk was more than double
• For geographic atrophy, the risk was more than triple.

Compared with non-smokers who weren’t exposed to second-hand smoke, the non-smokers who had such exposure had nearly twice the risk of having any form of age-related macular degeneration.

Learn more about macular degeneration including recommended self-help and nutrition to reduce your risk of blindness

Source:  “Smoking and age related macular degeneration: the number of pack years of cigarette smoking is a major determinant of risk for both geographic atrophy and choroidal neovascularization,” Khan, et al,  Br J Ophthalmol 2006;90:75-80.

Researchers in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Wisconsin have found that risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as smoking and higher body mass index are also risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
 
The subjects in this study were 4,288 women age 63 years and older who were participating in the Women’s Health Initiative Sight Examination (WHISE).  Using a standardized questionnaire and examinations, researchers obtained information from the women on cardiovascular disease and its risk factors.  

919 of the women in the study were diagnosed with AMD (determined by standardized grading of fundus photographs).

The results were straightforward:  women who were identified as having four important risk factors for cardiovascular disease were also significantly more likely to have AMD.  These risk factors were:

• smoking
• use of calcium channel blockers
• diabetes, and
• greater body mass index.

Learn more about macular degeneration

Read other studies about macular degeneration research and prevention

SOURCE:  Cardiovascular disease, its risk factors and treatment, and age-related macular degeneration: Women’s Health Initiative Sight Exam ancillary study, Klein, et al, Am J Ophthalmol. 2007 Mar;143(3):473-83. Epub 2007 Jan 10.

Data in US Twin Study also shows consumption of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids helps fight AMD

In a study of male twins, research shows that those who smoke have an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.  Men who ate more fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids had a lower risk of developing the disease.

Researchers collected data on 681 elderly male twins from the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council World War II Veteran Twin Registry.  The twins were given an eye exam and completed a food frequency and a risk-factor questionnaire.  222 of the twins had intermediate and late-stage age-related macular degeneration, while 459 of the twins had no signs of the disease.

The study showed that current smokers had a 1.9-fold increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, while past smokers had about a 1.7-fold increased risk.

Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids from fish reduced the risk of AMD, particularly if two or more servings of fish were consumed each week.

Although researchers noted that genetics are important in determining who will get AMD, lifestyle choices, such as smoking, play a role as well. 

What can you do to reduce your risk of AMD?  Eat a healthy diet, including omega-3 fatty acids from fish such as mackerel, lake trout, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon.  Experts also recommend exercising, refraining from smoking, and maintaining a normal healthy weight.

Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Read more studies about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for healthy vision

SOURCE:  Seddon, et al; Cigarette Smoking, Fish Consumption, Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake, and Associations With Age-Related Macular Degeneration; Arch Ophthalmol. 2006;124:995-1001.