In what could be called a major breakthrough, scientists have developed a new jab which they claim could cure blindness. An international team, led by Britain's Yorkshire Eye Hospital, has created the steroid implant which releases an anti-inflammatory drug near the retina to help stop the onset of blindness and also restore loss of vision.

The treatment, which costs £2,000, is used to prevent the sudden loss of sight caused by a blockage of veins at the back of the eye; but, it could also be used to prevent many other causes of blindness like diabetes and agerelated macular degeneration, the Sunday Express reported.

Shafiq Rehman, a specialist at the Yorkshire Eye Hospital in Bradford, said: "This is exciting and could be used in a wide potential range of sight loss problems. The results are astounding."

52-year-old Carol Johnys, who suffered from severely impaired vision in her right eye caused by macular eye disease, is said to probably be the world's first patient to have her sight saved by the new treatment.

Her sight loss put her job as a printing company quality controller at risk but after having the steroid implant fitted she rates her eyesight as "brilliant" .

"There was a definite improvement in my vision just a week later. It has given me a new lease of life," she said.

Widowed Margaret Sheard, 83, of Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, said: "It definitely saved my sight." Sheard, a retired photographic artist, said: "It's improved my eyesight no end and the quality of my life."

Experts have also hailed the jab. Oliver Backhouse, consultant ophthalmologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said: "This is new, it works and it's wonderful. To date there have been no really safe and effective treatments for people with inflammation at the back of the eye. This is the first."

The Royal National Institute of Blind People in Britain has also hailed the breakthrough, saying the implant is an "exciting new development" .