Cigarettes and cataract: cadmium or a lack of vitamin C?

Cigarettes and cataract: cadmium or a lack of vitamin C? Cigarette smoking and cadmium have been identified as risk factors for cataract, and vitamin C (ascorbate) has been proposed as a protective factor. ' In this issue Ramakrishnan et al (p 202) bring together all three in a single study of cataract in Madras, India. The smoking component was of beedies which are smaller than cigarettes and have the tobacco wrapped in a dry leaf rather than paper. The tobacco from beedies has a high nicotine content.