This study found that, compared to those without the condition, AMD patients had significantly higher allostatic load scores—a measure of chronic physiological stress that combines systemic biomarkers such as BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and several others.


A new study in American Journal of Ophthalmology demonstrated a connection between chronic stress and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 

The data revealed that AMD patients exhibited significantly higher chronic stress scores as far back as a decade before their diagnosis when compared to controls without AMD. For each unit increase in chronic stress score, the odds of having AMD increased by a factor of 1.11, highlighting a direct correlation between chronic stress and the increased likelihood of developing AMD. 

While this study reinforces that smoking cessation is the most important lifestyle modification to lower AMD risk, the researchers point out the connection between smoking and  chronic stress.

Smoking has been directly associated with higher stress scores. Nicotine exposure may lead to activation of stress systems, and chronic stress may lead to adoption of poor health behaviors like smoking.

Future work could expand on current efforts to understand the role of chronic stress in ocular health and disease outcomes, such as AMD progression.