Decade-Long Study Links Smoking to Worse Eye Disease in Sickle Cell Patients
What Happened
A decade-long study has found that smoking significantly worsens sickle cell retinopathy, an eye condition caused by abnormal blood vessel changes in people with sickle cell disease. Researchers observed that smokers were more likely to experience progression of retinal damage, increasing the risk of vision impairment and other serious eye complications.
Key Takeaways
The findings add to growing evidence that smoking can aggravate disease-related complications beyond the lungs and heart. For people living with sickle cell disease, avoiding smoking could play an important role in reducing the risk of vision loss and slowing the progression of retinopathy.