Scientists at Britain's University of Birmingham have developed a type of eye drop which could spell the end of painful injections directly into the eye to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common eye disorder that causes blindness.

A painless condition which causes people to gradually lose their central vision, usually in both eyes, AMD is currently treated by repeated injections into the eye on a monthly basis over at least three years.This is a problem because, apart from being an unpleasant procedure for patients to undergo, the injections can cause tearing and infections inside the eye and an increased risk of blindness.The scientists invented a method of delivering the injected drug as an eye drop instead, and their laboratory research obtained the same outcomes as the injected drug, according to a study published in the journal Investigative Opthalmology and Visual Science.

The drop uses a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) to deliver the drug to the relevant part of the eye within minutes."The CPP-drug has the potential to have a significant impact on the treatment of AMD by revolutionising drug-delivery options," said lead researcher Felicity de Cogan from the University of Birmingham's Institute of Inflammation and Ageing."Efficacious self-administered drug application by eye drop would lead to a significant reduction in adverse outcomes and health care costs compared with current treatments," de Cogan added.