Who conducted the study?

Dr. Long Zhao led the study with fellow researchers from the Chongqing Medical University in China.

When did they do it? 

The researchers published their study in October 2024.

Where did they do it?

They completed their study in their labs at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University in China.

How did they do it?

The researchers split the study into two parts: human cells and mice. In the first part, the researchers treated one group of human eye cells with antioxidants, called fer-1 and lip-1, that protect against cell death. The researchers then exposed this group of cells to cigarette smoke extract, a liquid containing the chemicals in tobacco smoke. They also exposed a second group of cells that were not treated with the protective antioxidants. They compared the survival of the protected eye cells to the non-protected cells. 

In the second part, the researchers exposed the eyes of one group of mice to cigarette smoke extract but did not expose the eyes of the second group. The researchers then compared the damage of the exposed eyes to the non-exposed eyes.

What did they find?

In the first part of the study, the researchers found that more human eye cells treated with the protective antioxidants survived than eye cells without protection. 

In the second part of the study, the mice whose eyes were exposed to cigarette smoke had more eye damage than non-exposed mice.

Why is this study important?

The findings from this study suggests that the antioxidants fer-1 and lip-1 may protect eyes from damage from cigarette smoke exposure. This includes protection from exposure to thirdhand smoke. In the future, this research could help scientists develop effective ways to treat vision and eye health.

Click here to read the research study.