The Study
A nationwide cohort study of cigarette smoking and risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration in East Asian men
This study looked at a lot of men over many years and found that those who smoked were more likely to develop a type of eye disease. But it didn't make people smoke or not smoke — it just watched what happened. So we can say smoking is linked to the disease, but we can't say for sure that smoking caused it.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Smoking hurts your eyes over time — especially the part that lets you see fine details.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 559 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This means smoking is one of the biggest preventable causes of blindness in men in East Asia — quitting helps, but doesn't fully undo the damage.
- 2Smokers are 65% more likely to get a serious eye disease that causes blindness than non-smokers.
- 3Even people who quit still have 21% higher risk.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
British Journal of Ophthalmology
Year
2017
Authors
T. Rim, Ching-Yu Cheng, Dong Wook Kim, S. S. Kim, T. Wong
Related Content
Claims (6)
People who smoke cigarettes have twice the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration due to oxidative damage and reduced blood flow to the retina.
People who smoke cigarettes for longer periods or who smoke more cigarettes each day have a higher risk of developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration. The total amount of tobacco exposure over time is directly linked to this increased risk.
Men aged 45–79 who smoke cigarettes have a higher risk of developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration than those who never smoked, and the risk increases with how long and how much they smoke.
People who currently smoke have a 65% higher chance of developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration than people who never smoked. People who quit smoking still have a 21% higher chance than those who never smoked.
East Asian men who smoke are 50% to 65% more likely to develop neovascular age-related macular degeneration than those who have never smoked.
People who smoke cigarettes have a higher risk of developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration, a type of vision loss, even when accounting for other factors like age and existing health conditions.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.