Risk of aged-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness among persons 60 and older, may be increased by smoking and decreased by consumption of omega-3 fatty acids.

Boston researchers, whose work appears in the Archives of Ophthalmology, studied 681 male twins and found that those who currently smoke had nearly twice the risk of developing AMD. The investigators also found that those who consume higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, found in some fish, reduced their risk of the blinding disease.