Make a New Year’s Resolution-“Quit Smoking” as another reason has been added to the benefits of quitting smoking.

The US doctors say that quitting smoking helps save sight. The ophthalmologists at the University of California-Los Angeles claim that after 80 years there is an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration. This causes damage to the center of the retina which can, in time, even cause blindness.

The rate of this retina disease increases by 11% in smokers. While, when the age also is a factor like in elderly of 80 and above, this disease is 5.5% more in smokers than in other people.

"The take-home message is that it's never too late to quit smoking", Dr. Anne Coleman, the study's lead author, said in a statement. "We found that even older people's eyes will benefit from kicking the habit”.

Dr. Coleman and colleagues also analyzed a study on 1958 women, out of which around 4% were smokers. They compared their retinal images at ages 78 and 83. The findings will soon be detailed in the January issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology.