The article discusses smoking and age related macular degeneration. It discusses the link between smoking and AMD and also the importance of quitting smoking to reduce the risk. Also discussed is the accurate and timely diagnosis of AMD.
Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is characterized by problems in the sharp and central vision of a person. It usually affects people who are 60 years and older and is one of the leading causes of vision loss.
Smoking and AMD
Various studies have provided conclusive results that link smoking with an increased risk of suffering from AMD. The chance of suffering from AMD both, atrophic age related mascular degeneration and neo-vascular degeneration double in smokers. The studies have also shown that former smokers don’t show the same risk of suffering from this condition; and if compared to people who never smoked, the dice is just about loaded in favour of non smokers. Another finding of the study was that as a smoker you can develop AMD around ten years before non smokers. These studies also draw a link between specific genetic background, heavy smoking, and the risk of AMD. It’s been seen that there is a dramatic increase in the risk factor.
Quit smoking to reduce risk
AMD causes blindness. No two ways about
the fact. If you don’t want to lose your vision, it’s important
that you do something about your smoking habit. So, what is it that
you want to do? Cutting down on your smoking habit is not going to
help matters much. You need to cut down completely on cigarettes.
It’s not going to be an easy task but you need to quit smoking. If
you are having trouble quitting, you can take the help of
Champix to quit smoking.
Accurate and timely diagnosis of AMD
If you think you are facing chronic
problems with your vision, its time that you consult your doctor.
More so, if you are a smoker! A regular checkup session with your
doctor is necessary to know if you are suffering from this condition.
AMD is a progressive condition, so you don’t really want to leave
it till very late to start off on a treatment plan. Any doctor will
tell you that the first thing you must do to help manage your
condition is to quit smoking. The doctor can also recommend the
intake of various medications along with your quit smoking endeavor.
If you have already begun your intake of prescription medications
like Champix, it’s important to make sure that you aren’t going
to suffer from any adverse interaction of taking these medications.
Not just another risk factor of smoking
Many smokers might regard AMD as just another health risk of smoking. Also, the fact that it usually manifests itself when you are older, might also contribute to you not giving the due importance to this condition. But, the fact of the matter is that it needs to be treated with due seriousness, because if you don’t, you might start losing your vision. This is going to have a huge impact on the general quality of life. So, why wait for that to happen before you realize the seriousness of the situation.
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