Eye-drops could tackle a common cause of blindness

EYE-drops containing cholesterol-reducing drugs could combat one of the most common causes of blindness, according to new research.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which affects the retina, is triggered by harmful blood fats, just like hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart attacks.

Experiments on mouse and human cells have found deposits of this cholesterol contribute to both conditions, and even blood vessel growth in some types of cancer.

Prof Rajendra Apte, an opthalmology expert at Washington University School of Medicine in the United States, said: “Based on our findings, we need to investigate whether vision loss caused by macular degeneration could be prevented with cholesterol-lowering eye-drops or other medications that might prevent the build-up of lipids beneath the retina.”

An estimated 500,000 people in the UK suffer from AMD and four in ten of them are over the age of 75.