Age-related macular degeneration and cannabis smoking

Published in June 2022 in Journal Français d'Ophtalmologie, this prospective observational study examined the correlation of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and frequent cannabis smoking.

The study participants came from 22 centers located throughout England, Wales, and Scotland. They are still longitudinally tracked and tracking began between 2006 and 2010. The average age was 56 and 54% were women. 95% were white British nationals.

• "Subjects who had used marijuana more than 100 times had a significantly reduced risk of AMD, compared to subjects who had never used marijuana, and use of marijuana every day was associated with less AMD than use of marijuana less than once a month.
• Use of marijuana every day was associated with less AMD than use of marijuana less than once a month."

However, the study did find that even though risk of developing AMD was significantly reduced among cannabis users, those cannabis users that DID develop AMD, did so sooner by about 8 years.

The abstract is available here at ScienceDirect.com.