A NORTH Yorkshire hospital has begun offering groundbreaking treatment that can halt the onset of blindness.

Harrogate District Hospital is providing photo dynamic therapy (PDT) to patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Experts say AMD is the biggest cause of blindness in the western world.

The condition affects the central retina and causes problems with reading and recognising faces.

PDT can stabilise the vision in patients with wet macular degeneration in about 70 per cent of cases - without treatment, this figure falls to 30 per cent.

One patient who has benefited from the treatment being offered in Harrogate is Robert Wilberforce.

Mr Wilberforce had previously travelled as far as Liverpool. He was heavily reliant on hospital transport or relatives to take him to appointments, which would have involved a day trip or an overnight stay.

He now travels less than a mile to Harrogate District Hospital for treatment, which takes less than half a day.

Gavin Walters, consultant ophthalmic surgeon for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust and lead clinician for photo dynamic therapy for North Yorkshire, said: "We are delighted that patients in the Harrogate district can now be treated closer to home, eliminating the anxiety of travelling long distances and avoiding a delay in treatment, which can be very damaging."

The symptoms of wet macular degeneration include blurring and the appearance of wavy lines in the central vision. They can develop very quickly.

Patients with recent onset of these symptoms should see their GP or optometrist, who can refer them to their local ophthalmic department.

PDT involves the injection of a photo-sensitive dye, which after 15 minutes becomes concentrated in any abnormal blood vessels in the eye.

A laser light is applied that activates the dye and kills off the abnormal blood vessels with the aim of preventing further damage to the eyesight.

Patients undergoing treatment are assessed every three months.

The treatment is usually prescribed three times in the first year, falling to twice in the second year and once in the third year.