Daily aspirin may increase risk for age-related blindness Many
people take aspirin to prevent heart attacks, but new research
suggests the added benefits may be coming at the expense of
pill-takers' eyesight. A 15-year-study published Jan. 22 in JAMA
Internal Medicine showed that people taking regular aspirin
faced a higher risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD),
one of the leading causes of blindness in older adults. The
research also suggests the risk may worsen over time. AMD
commonly affects adults 50 and older, gradually destroying their
"macula," which is a part of the eye that provides sharp,
central vision that's required to see objects clearly. There are
two types of the disease: "Dry" AMD is most common and occurs
when the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down,
gradually blurring central vision while "wet" or neovascular AMD
occurs when blood vessels under the macula leak blood and fluid,
causing damage. Wet AMD is often more severe but also more rare,
affecting about 10 per