Bill to Give FDA Authority to Regulate Tobacco Products Passes U.S. Senate

Senate Bill 982, a bill to protect the public health by providing the Food and Drug Administration with certain authority to regulate tobacco products, passed the Senate today by a vote of 79-17. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/11/AR2009061102793.html

The U.S. House passed similar legislation, House Resolution 1256, in April.

Tobacco use has been linked to a number of health problems and is the single greatest cause of disease and premature death in the in the United States today. Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, including the eye.

Age-related Macular Degeneration, or AMD, is the second leading cause of legal blindness in the United States, and recent studies link AMD to smoking. Over 2 million Americans have AMD, contributing to the $51.4 billion annual cost of adult vision problems to the U.S. AMD is a condition that primarily affects the part of the retina responsible for sharp central vision. An individual with AMD may have blurry or wavy central vision or a blind spot in their central vision.

For more information on Age-related Macular Degeneration, go to http://www.preventblindness.org/amd/

To view a copy of Prevent Blindness America's "Vision Problems in the U.S." report or "The Economic Impact of Vision Problems" report, go to:
http://www.preventblindness.net/site/PageServer?pagename=advocacy_Resources