A recent article in Reuters Health Information (RHI) states that cigarette smoking increases the risk of developing age-related cataracts, clouding of the lens in the eye that impairs vision. Study results published in the August 9 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association suggest that quitting does reduce cataract risk -- and also provides evidence that only some smoking-related damage to the lens is reversible.

"Compared with men who continued to smoke, men who had quit less than 10 years before study entry had an approximately 20% reduced risk of cataract diagnosis after adjustment for other cataract risk factors and average number of cigarettes smoked per day or age at starting smoking," according to Dr. William G. Christen of Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues.

The study found that men who had quit smoking had a 23% reduced risk of cataract diagnosis and a 28% reduced risk for cataract extraction -- a surgical treatment -- compared with men who currently smoked.

The researchers conclude that their findings show that smoking cessation reduces the risk of cataract primarily by limiting total smoking-related damage to the lens, but also that some damage in the lens may not be reversed with smoking cessation, underscoring the importance of early cessation of smoking and, preferably, the avoidance of smoking altogether.

Question from : polly wells

Is it possible to have normal elevated pressure? I have had the same pressure for 2 yrs, had cataract surgery it went down for a bit then back to same. I would appreciate any advise. Thanks

Dr. Webber:

There are some folks who have elevated eye pressure that is normal. They are called Ocular Hypertensives. They should be followed regularly and have visula field tests done at least once per year.

Stem cells transplanted into the eyes of mice with retinal disease restored and improved the animals' vision, a finding that may yield benefits for patients with eye disease, researchers report.

Dr. Michael J. Young, from Harvard Medical School in Boston and colleagues harvested retinal stem cells from newborn mice that had been bred with a gene that colored their tissues fluorescent green. The cells were then transplanted into the degenerating retinas of adult mice.

After transplantation, the stem cells became nerve cells that are needed for vision, according to the report in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. Furthermore, the mice that received the transplants showed improved responses to light.

• Are you tired of the rising cost of health care?
• Are you troubled by not having coverage?
• Do you have pre existing conditions ?
• Do you confront health issues that you never imagined? (pregnant, HIV/aids, cancer, diabetes, heart conditions)

  Eye-related health care and glasses for problems related to video display terminal (VDT) use costs Americans nearly $2 billion each year.

 Here's a short list of things you can do to stop those ill effects:

• Keep the computer screen four to nine inches below eye level.
• Use drapes, shades or blinds to control window lighting and glare. Vertical or horizontal blinds can be used to direct light away from the computer user and the computer.
• Screen brightness should be the same as the brightness of other objects in the room.
• Try a glare reduction filter.

The eye is the only part of the human body that can function at 100% ability at any moment, day or night, without rest.

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