Kick The Habit! Stop smoking to reduce risk of cataracts

If you are trying to kick the smoking habit, here's another good reason to do so: former smokers have a decreased risk of developing cataracts. A recent report published in the JAMA Ophthalmology outlines the details of a study conducted in Sweden. Researchers studied the association between smoking cessation and cataract removal in a group of Swedish men aged between 45 and 79 years. Over the course of a twelve year period, the researchers identified 5,613 cases of age-related cataract removal. What researchers discovered was that men who smoke 15 cigarettes a day were at a 42% increased risk of requiring cataract removal compared to men who never smoked. Twenty years after quitting, men who had the 15 cigarettes a day average saw their risk decreased to 21%.*