Foundation News » Other Retinal Diseases
New Study Reveals That One Exposure to Nicotine Reduces Retinal Function
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June 5, 2012 – As if increased risks for heart disease, lung disease and cancer weren’t enough reason for a person to quit smoking, here’s another: Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that nicotine alone significantly reduced the function of the retinas in healthy men from 20 to 32 years of age with no eye disease. Their study compared the retinal sensitivity of subjects chewing nicotine gum with those chewing gum without nicotine. The amount of nicotine in the gum was equivalent to the nicotine in one or two cigarettes. An instrument called an electroretinogram, or ERG, was used to measure the retinas’ sensitivity to light. Researchers have known for several years that smoking can triple the risk for developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However this new study, published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, shows that a single exposure to nicotine, just one chemical component in 600 of cigarette smoke, can have a dramatic effect on the healthy retina. “This study underscores how important it is to avoid smoking regardless of your age or health status,” says Dr. Stephen Rose, chief research officer, Foundation Fighting Blindness. “It is remarkable how a single dose of nicotine has such a powerful and immediate impact, even on a normal retina. While I am not aware of any clinical studies on how smoking affects people with rare retinal diseases like retinitis pigmentosa, there’s little doubt it could be damaging to the already fragile retina. We know that cigarette smoke increases oxidative stress, and we also know that oxidative stress accelerates retinal disease and vision loss.” The study investigators say that they chose to study nicotine because, while other components in cigarette smoke may be harmful to the retina, it is difficult to isolate most of them for study in humans.
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