A Blinding Smoke

By Sora Song

Among the lesser known dangers of cigarette smoking is eye disease, say British researchers writing in the journal Eye. Data suggest that smoking doubles your risk of age-related macular degeneration, a common cause of severe and irreversible vision loss. Reduce that risk by quitting. --By Sora Song

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS ... OH, MY, DO YOU HAVE ALZHEIMER'S?

A simple word game may someday help doctors identify people in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. In a preliminary study published in Neuropsychologia, British researchers asked 96 Alzheimer's sufferers and 40 healthy adults to name as many animals or fruits as they could in one minute. Those with dementia came up with not only fewer words but simpler ones that they learned earlier in childhood, like cat or dog. Healthy adults mentioned slightly less typical terms like hippopotamus, gorilla and giraffe.

RX FOR NEW DOCS: SLEEP ON THE JOB

It's hard to function after a night of fitful sleep and harder still after forgoing sleep altogether. In a study of medical residents published in J.A.M.A., researchers found that after an overnight shift during a month of 90-hour workweeks, new doctors showed the same deficits on tests of vigilance, attention and driving skills as they did after downing three 12-oz. vodka-and-tonic cocktails during a regular 44-hour-a-week rotation.