Media Release 6 January 2010
Stop smoking, save your sight
People struggling to keep their New Year’s resolution to stop smoking take note – quitting smoking, even
late in life, will dramatically reduce your risk of blindness.
Smoking is a known risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Australia’s leading cause of
vision loss and blindness, with research showing that smokers are three times more likely to develop the
disease.
Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) Managing Director Professor Jonathan Crowston said that
given there’s no known cure and limited treatment options for AMD, cutting out risk factors like smoking
is the best weapon against the disease.
“There’s evidence to suggest that people who quit can actually reverse the risk levels for AMD,”
Professor Crowston said.
“And a study by the University of California Los Angeles found that smoking continues to increase a
person’s risk of developing the disease, even after the age of 80.”
“Therefore reducing the risk of blindness should be a strong incentive to quit smoking, even for older
people”.
Professor Crowston said although cigarette packets featured warnings about the risk of blindness
caused by smoking, there is still a lack of community awareness.
“The link between smoking and AMD is strong. It’s believed smoking has a toxic effect on the cells in the
retina, at the back of the eye and causes the narrowing of retinal blood vessels,” Professor Crowston
said.
“Smoking also inhibits the absorption of antioxidants that are important to eye health and reduces the
density of protective macular pigments”.
A joint study by CERA and Access Economics found that AMD costs the Government more than 2.6
billion dollars annually, a figure set to increase as the population ages.
AMD is a progressive disease affecting the central area of the retina called the macula. Fifteen per cent
of people over 50, or half a million Australians, live with the early stages of the disease.
CERA is affiliated with the University of Melbourne and the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, where
it is located.
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To arrange an interview with Professor Jonathan Crowston contact:
Lauren Metcalfe
(MOB) + 61 431 658 933
laurenem@unimelb.edu.au
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