Smoking is a well
recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke, vascular disease in
general, glaucoma and high blood pressure. But does smoking effect your risk of
getting cataracts?
Research about Cataracts & Smoking
Researchers studying the
risk of cataracts among smokers reported in JAMA Ophthalmology that stopping smoking
decreases the risk of cataracts over time. The researchers followed a total of
44,371 men, 45 to 79 years old over a 10 year period and the participants
filled out questionnaires on their smoking habits and lifestyles and were then
matched with the Swedish National Day-Surgery Register and local records of
cataract extraction.
The researchers found that smokers of
more than 15 cigarettes a day had a 42% increased risk of cataract surgery
compared with men who had never smoked. It also found that men who smoked an
average of more than 15 cigarettes a day but had stopped smoking more than 20
years earlier had a 21% increased risk. Thus, they found a positive association
between cigarette smoking and cataract surgery in men, with a significant
increase of cataracts among smokers compared to those who never smoked. Also,
stopping smoking was associated with a statistically significant decrease in
risk with increasing time from stopping smoking. Even heavy smokers had some
benefit from quitting smoking.
Further,
a previous study from 2005 detailed the relationship between smoking cessation
and cataract risk in women. In this study, they found that after cessation of
smoking, cataract risk in women decreased with time. Women who smoked 6 to 10
cigarettes a day but had ceased smoking 10 years earlier, and women who smoked
more than 10 cigarettes a day but had ceased smoking 20 years earlier were
found to have a relative risk of cataracts not significantly different from
women who had never smoked.
Smoking
cessation seems to decrease the risk of cataract development and the need for
cataract surgery with time, although the risk persists for decades. The higher
the intensity of smoking, the longer it takes for the increased risk to
decline. These findings emphasize the importance of early smoking cessation
and, preferably, the avoidance of smoking altogether.
If you or someone you know has
questions or concerns about cataract risk or needs a cataract evaluation,
please call Doctor &
Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor
& Associates in Fairfield County, Google+ or
facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.
Doctor & Associates offices
are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury
Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.
