A EURO MP is calling for warnings linking smoking with blindness to be placed on cigarette packets following some ground-breaking research carried out at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Dr Simon Kelly, the hospital's consultant ophthalmic surgeon, who carried out the research, found that smoking, including passive smoking, was a major environmental cause of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in Europe.

Now West Midlands MEP Elizabeth Lynne wants the European Commission to consider incorporating a warning message on cigarette packets and advertising.

Her call comes after a study of teenagers by experts from Bolton revealed youngsters were more afraid of losing their sight than lung cancer.

Ms Lynne told the Commission: "Several prominent European smoking prevention and eye-health organisations are calling for a Europe-wide campaign to raise awareness of the link between smoking and blindness.

"Is the Commission aware of this and given that research indicates fear of blindness is a powerful incentive to stop smoking - particularly among younger people - what are its current advertising plans for the Help - for a life without tobacco' programme, which is itself targeted at younger people?"

While the Commission refused to commit itself to the packet warning, it vowed to make the public aware of this risk.

Dr Kelly said: "I do hope Euro MPs will not be blind to the eye risks of smoking and will support our call for the message smoking causes blindness' to appear on cigarette packets across Europe.

"I'm impressed by how many of our patients in Bolton - both young and old - have quit smoking when they realised it was harming their eyesight."