Blindness From Smoking Terrifies Teens, But Few Realize The Two Are Linked

Teenagers fear blindness more than lung cancer or stroke, but nine out of 10 don't know that smoking can rob them of their sight in later life, reveals research published ahead of print in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

The findings are based on the responses of 260 clubbers aged between 16 and 18, collected at four UK venues in Bournemouth, Winchester, Manchester and Southampton.

One in five of the young women were daily smokers (21%), compared with around one in seven (15%) of the young men.

The teens were asked if they knew about the link between smoking and certain diseases, such as stroke, lung cancer, heart disease, and blindness.

Deafness, which is not caused by smoking, was also included, in a bid to balance out the responses.

They were then asked to rank their fears of each disease.

Awareness that smoking caused lung cancer was high, with 81% of respondents recognising the causal link. But the teenagers were not so well informed about the other health consequences of smoking.

Just over one in four (27%) realised smoking was linked to heart disease, and only 15% realised that smoking could also lead to stroke.

Just 5% correctly identified that smoking can also cause blindness, mostly as a result of age related macular degeneration, or AMD for short.

The figure was even lower among those who smoked, just 2% of whom recognised the link.

But teens were far more frightened of losing their sight than of any other smoking related disease, giving it an average score of 4, compared with 3 for lung cancer, and 2 for heart disease and stroke.

Nine out of 10 of the teens said they would give up at the first signs of blindness, prompting the authors to suggest that public health messages about smoking which are aimed at teens, should include the risks of blindness.

While the prevalence of smoking has fallen in the UK, rates among teenagers are still high, warn the authors.

New Haven: Smoking Law Upheld

The Connecticut Supreme Court yesterday upheld a 2003 state law that bans smoking in restaurants and bars but allows it in private clubs and casinos. In a 4-to-1 vote, the court rejected a claim that exempting private clubs and the state’s two tribal casinos violated the rights of businesses affected by the law. The law had been challenged by a group of bar and restaurant owners who claimed that the ban was unconstitutional and hurt their businesses. The group claimed that the ban violated their rights to equal protection under the law. But the court determined that the legislature had the right to make exceptions.

Has it been scientifically proven that cigarette smoking causes cancer?

Smoking is estimated to be responsible for 30% of all cancer deaths and specifically related to about 87% of lung cancer cases. It is also a contributory factor for the development.

Are mentholated cigarettes more or less harmful?

About 4% of all Canadian cigarettes sold contain some menthol. The metholated brands contain enough to produce a cool sensation in the throat when smoke is inhaled. Menthol does not add or detract from the harm caused by cigarettes, so far as tests show.

What about the low tar/nicotine brands?

Theoretically, the low tar and nicotine brands that have taken over a large share of the Canadian cigarette market in the past few years may offer a slightly reduced risk of lung cancer. But only theoretically.

Several facts not widely known are:

1.The “light” effect is generally acheived through air dilution using ventilation holes near the filter.

2.Regular smokers who switch to those low tar and nicotine cigarettes tend to compensate by smoking more cigarettes, or by inhaling more deeply and longer, or by covering up the ventilation holes. Thus they do not really reduce the amount of tar and nicotine they inhale.

3.Smokers of these cigarettes have a greatly increased risk of heart attack because they get more carbon monoxide by inhaling more deeply and longer.

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Hi this blog will cover quit smoking programs , laws , & news about smoking & how to try to quit. Its ruff I know I have been trying myself for about 3 years now.

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