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Consultant ophthalmologist Raman Malhotra has come up with what he claims is a cure for sufferers of the rare condition blepharospasm.

Malhotra, based at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, told the Times (May 19) that he had found a simple method that helps about 40 per cent of those affected by putting a filter, mounted in an ordinary pair of glasses, in front of one of the eyes. He added that he did not understand why the filter seems to prevent the nerve signals that cause the condition. 'It's amazing but it actually works,' he said. 'We've found that if we filter light to one eye - either the worst-affected one, or the other - it reduces the symptoms.'

Malhotra has completed a trial of the method and was due to present his findings to the Royal College of Ophthalmologists as Optician went to press.

There are currently around 5,000 patients in the UK who suffer from blepharospasm or other closely related conditions. The new treatment was described as a simpler option to the use of Botox.

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