Smoking increases the risk of blindness

Smoking can increase the risk of completely blindness.

The biggest risk of losing sight of a macular degeneration is the consumption of cigarettes. As a study proves, genetic factors also play a major role in the development and progression of age-related eye disease.

Smoking can significantly increase the age-related risk of blindness, as the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG) reports. Around 4.5 million people in Germany suffer from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In the Western world, retinal disease is the leading cause of blindness in old age. The risk of age-related AMD blindness increases with increasing age. About 15 percent of 65- to 74-year-old women and men are already affected by the early stage of macular degeneration. Older patients, who have already passed the age of 85, suffer from almost a third of the eye disease.

Fast treatment and support
Blindness represents a significant psychological burden for the patients as well as a serious intervention in the quality of life. According to the Ophthalmological Society, it is important to offer the affected person early help in order to stop the onset of blindness and avoid helplessness. „It is likely that in about ten years, over one million Germans will contract a late stage of AMD“, said DOG spokesman Professor med. Christian Ohrloff. Patients face massive quality of life restrictions and complete loss of sight“ said the ophthalmologist at the University Eye Clinic in Frankfurt am Main.

Smoking increases the risk
Smoking seriously damages the eyes. Because smokers usually have an insufficient vitamin and trace element household. In addition, the cigarette smoke releases more oxygen radicals, which attack the eye tissue in the longer term. DOG specialists therefore recommend that eye care professionals encourage their patients to stop smoking immediately at the first sign of illness. Scientific studies have shown that Vitamins A, C and E, as well as the trace elements copper and zinc, reduce the risk of blindness in the late form of the disease by 25 percent. For a stop smoking can sometimes stabilize the vitamin balance again. Lutein and zeaxanthin, which are assigned to the carotenes, also have a positive effect on the cells. „However, it should be noted that inappropriate dosing of these micronutrients can increase the risk of cancer, especially among smokers“, so the warning of the DOG-doctor Professor med. Gabriele Lang from the University Hospital Ulm. Even with an additional intake of zinc patients should necessarily make an agreement / clarification with their attending physician. A study published in the journal „Ophthamology“ recently appeared, had argued that regular consumption of fatty fish can reduce the risk of developing AMD.

Symptoms of macular degeneration
The course of the disease is insidious. At first, patients do not notice any symptoms at the beginning of the disease. First, white to yellowish deposits in the cells (drusen) alter the retina and choroid. In severe disease (wet AMD disease), tissue fluid and blood enters the retina of the eyes. Affected individuals notice a strong visual impairment, which can lead to complete blindness. The dry form of the disease accounts for about 80 percent of patient cases. In this form, blindness occurs in 5 to 10 percent of the cases. However, the severity of the symptoms may vary as the age and forms of the disease are different.

Genetic factors play a crucial role
Numerous study results indicate that there is a relationship between macular degeneration and genetic predisposition. Individual genes responsible for inflammation play an important role in their development. „Knowledge of genetic risk factors could help to better assess individual disease outcomes and identify risk groups“, explained Dr. Long. If risk factors such as smoking are added, the risk of macular degeneration increases significantly.

Significant increase in cases
With demographic change (as people get older and older), researchers and doctors are seeing a steady increase in cases of illness. Therefore, it is important to increase the research efforts in the area of ​​macular degeneration. „As demographic change increases the number of people affected, both research and health economics have increased interest in measures that delay or even prevent the onset of macular degeneration“, said Ohrloff. In the area of ​​specific environmental factors and genetic risk factors, further research should be undertaken to improve treatments. (Sb)

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