THE UK’s leading sight loss charity has welcomed the European Commission’s decision to warn smokers of the risk of blindness.
EU governments have up to two years to introduce the new “smoking increases the risk of blindness” on tobacco products.
But the Royal National Institute of Blind People is now calling for the Government to implement the ruling as soon as possible.
Steve Winyard, at RNIB, said: “Whilst people are generally aware that smoking causes cancer, they don’t realise that they are gambling with their eyesight. People who smoke not only double the risk of developing AMD – the UK’s leading cause of blindness. They also
tend to develop it earlier than non-smokers do.”
