It's Never Too Late to Quit Smoking and Save Your Vision

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091231082825.htm

ScienceDaily (Dec. 31, 2009) — Need a little extra incentive to kick the habit?

Just in time for New Year's resolutions, a UCLA study finds that even after age 80, smoking continues to increase one's risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 65.

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Overall, women who smoked had 11 percent higher rates of AMD than other women their same age. In women over 80, however, those who smoked were 5.5 [450 percent higher] times more likely to develop AMD than women their age who did not smoke.

"We saw a slightly higher rate of AMD in women after age 80, but the rate was dramatically higher in older women who smoked," said Coleman. "The bottom line is that AMD risk increases with age. And if you smoke, your risk of developing the disease rises even more."

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