A long-term study has revealed that air pollution is linked to Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness among those over 50 years of age. Known AMD risk factors include older age, smoking, and genetics, but given the fact that ambient air pollution has been associated with heightened risk of heart and respiratory disease, researchers wanted to learn if it might also be linked to AMD. After counting for factors like health condition and lifestyle, studies showed that higher exposure to particulate pollution matter was associated with an 8% higher risk of AMD. The study also showed a direct relationship between air pollution and Retinal layer thickness, which indicates that air pollution may make Retinal cells vulnerable to other vision risks in addition to AMD. Learn more about the links between air pollution and progressive and irreversible sight loss at http://bit.ly/3iZ1fNV
