Smokers are 47 percent more likely than nonsmokers to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can result in gradual vision loss, according to researchers from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported Jan. 19 that a study of 5,000 Wisconsin residents conducted over 15 years also found that smokers who have AMD are 43 percent more likely to experience progression of the disease.

"This has important healthcare implications because early AMD increases the risk of developing late AMD and smoking behavior is modifiable," wrote researcher Ronald Klein and colleagues.

The study was reported in the January 2008 issue of the Archives of Ophthamology.