'Smoking is the only proven cause of AMD that people can do anything about, yet they are not aware of the link and most have not even heard of the condition.'

The AMD Alliance UK says the link between smoking and the eye condition is now as robust as the connection between smoking and lung cancer. AMD is the leading cause of sight loss in Britain, with around 500,000 sufferers. An estimated 54,000 have it through smoking.

But there is widespread ignorance about the condition.

Few Smokers Know About AMD Link

A survey of more than 1,000 people published on the Royal National Institute of the Blind's Eye Test Action Day found that only seven percent knew that AMD affected the eyes.

But seven out of ten smokers said they would stop smoking permanently or cut down if they thought the habit could harm their eyesight.

AMD sufferer Pauline Edwards, 50, from Salford, said she had smoked most of her adult life, but would have stopped if she had been aware of the link with sight loss.

"I smoked for years. Now I have AMD, am partially sighted in one eye and am likely to go blind," she added. "I am a nurse; I saw people die from smoking-related diseases and that did not make me kick the habit. But if I had been told that I could lose my sight because of smoking, I would have given up. I stopped the day I found out."

Steve Winyard, head of campaigns at the RNIB and chairman of AMD Alliance UK, said: "Smoking is the only proven cause of AMD that people can do anything about, yet they are not aware of the link and most have not even heard of the condition."

Simple Message: Don't Smoke

"The message is simple: Do not take up smoking, and if you do, stop. People also need to make sure they have regular eye tests to check their eyes are healthy. An eye test can save your sight."

The RNIB is calling on the Government to introduce warnings on cigarette packets about the risk of AMD and to fund a public awareness campaign on the dangers of smoking to eyesight.

It is also joining the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in calling for a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces across the UK.

More information on AMD and sight problems is available by visiting www.rnib.org.uk