The study, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, was the result of a partnership between Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

"The results suggest that this new therapeutic approach is safe and provides good visual outcomes," said Professor Lyndon da Cruz, a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Loading

Loading

"The patients who received the treatment had very severe AMD, and their improved vision will go some way to enhance their quality of life.

"We recognise that this is a small group of patients, but we hope that what we have learned from this study will benefit many more in the future."

The study investigated whether the diseased cells at the back of the patients' affected eye could be replenished using a stem cell patch.

A specially-engineered surgical tool was used to insert the patch under the retina in the eye of each patient in an operation lasting one to two hours.

The patients – who went from not being able to read at all, even with glasses, to reading 60-80 words per minute with normal reading glasses – were monitored for 12 months and reported improvements in their vision.

Professor Pete Coffey, of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, said the study represented "real progress in regenerative medicine".

"[It] opens the door on new treatment options for people with age-related macular degeneration," he said.

He said the breakthrough could lead to AMD patients being treated on the National Health Service within five years.

PA