Decadelong Study Finds Smoking Worsens Sickle Cell Retinopathy

Decadelong study finds smoking worsens sickle cell retinopathy

Sickle cell retinopathy (SCR), a common, potentially blinding eye condition found among some people with sickle cell disease, is caused by misshapen blood cells blocking blood vessels in the light-sensing retina. In a 10-year retrospective study of adults with SCR treated at Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine, researchers found active smoking is a strong modifiable risk factor for disease progression, highlighting smoking cessation and…

Smoking Worsens Vision Loss in Patients With Sickle Cell Retinopathy

Adults with sickle cell disease who actively smoke cigarettes or cigars are nearly three times as likely to experience advancing sickle cell retinopathy compared to nonsmokers.