CDC Report: Smoking Kills over 440,000 Each Year

This week's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality report states that 443,000 U.S. residents die from cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke exposure each year. The report states that smoking costs the United States $96 billion in medical costs annually. A copy of the CDC report can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5916a3.htm

Smoking increases an individual's risk for eye disease, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy and cataracts. AMD affects the back of the eye and can cause central vision to become blurry or wavy and cause a blind spot in the center of a person's vision. Diabetic retinopathy is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina. It is linked with diabetes, and anyone with diabetes is at risk for diabetic retinopathy. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, blocking or changing the way light passes through the eye.

Prevent Blindness America provides detailed information on these eye diseases on our website, including risk factors and what you can do to prevent these diseases and protect your eyesight. For more information on eye disease, go to: http://www.preventblindness.org/eye_problems/

Many states have taken action to ban and restrict smoking as it relates to public health. To find your state's smoking laws, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_smoking_bans_in_the_United_States