Smokers who kick the habit reduce their chances of developing cataracts, the leading cause impaired vision, according to a new study reported by HealthDay.

While examining the association between the common medical condition - in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively cloudy - and smoking, researchers at the Orebro University Hospital in Sweden found that men who smoked at least 15 cigarettes per day could lower their risk for cataracts over the course of 20 years if they quit smoking, HealthDay reported.

"Smoking cessation may decrease the risk of cataract, but the risk among former smokers persists for decades. Since smoking is also related to other [eye] diseases, strategies to prevent smoking and promote smoking cessation are important, and eye care professionals should encourage people to stop smoking," Dr. Birgitta Ejdervik Lindblad, of Orebro University Hospital, and colleagues concluded in their report.

While examining a group of Swedish men ranging in age from 45 to 79 years, researchers identified researchers identified 5,713 cases of age-related cataract removal during 12 years of follow-up.

They also found that men who smoked more than 15 cigarettes per day have a 42 percent increased risk of cataract extraction compared to men who never smoked. More than 20 years after they stopped smoking, they had a 21 percent increased risk of having a cataract removed compared with never smokers.

The study was published in the Jan. 2 online edition of JAMA Ophthalmology.