Hypertension and Smoking Linked to Macular Degeneration

The researchers who conducted the study also call for further investigation of the association between antacid and thyroid hormone use and macular degeneration. The study, the latest report from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), was published in the December issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The two types of macular degeneration (AMD) are dry (atrophic) and wet (or exudative, also called neovascular AMD. Although only 10% of people with AMD have the wet form, it is the form that causes 90% of visual impairment. The major findings of the study were that smoking is associated with the more severe forms of AMD, hypertension is associated with neovascular AMD, and obesity and refractive error are both associated with neovascular AMD. The researchers noted that two findings need more study. One was that the use of thyroid hormones and antacids is associated with dry AMD. The other was a link between certain diuretics and forms of AMD. College graduates were found to be significantly less likely to develop AMD than those with a high school education or less.



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American Academy of Ophthalmology