Nearly 200,000 people in the UK live in the world of darkness due to AMD. AMD is a leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

A recent study by Prof John Marshall, senior ophthalmologist at King's College, London, has offered a new hope to people suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Professor Marshall has developed a revolutionary laser treatment that can delay the disabling effects of AMD.

AMD develops when a membrane at the back of the eye becomes clogged with natural waste materials produced by the light-sensitive cells, which clouds vision. During youth, enzymes clear away the debris, but as the ageing process sets in the membrane's cells eventually lose the ability to clear the waste, which leads deposits to build up.

The new laser technique was tested on more than 100 diabetics. The research team found that the "short pulse" laser stimulated the release of enzymes, which cleaned up the waste material without inflicting any damage on the cells that enable us to see.

There was a marked improvement in study subject's sight.

Marshall said: "The laser I've used is a totally new soft-pulse laser which doesn't cause any damage to any of the nearby tissues, unlike conventional lasers. All it does is stimulate the required chemical reaction. And it treats both 'dry' AMD and the effects of ageing."