EUROPEAN campaigners are backing a Bolton doctor's call for cigarette packets to carry warnings that smoking can cause blindness.

Bolton eye surgeon Simon Kelly, consultant ophthalmic surgeon at the Royal Bolton Hospital, has carried out groundbreaking research and his evidence shows that the link between smoking and blindness is as strong as the link with lung cancer.

According to Dr Kelly's research, smoking is "significantly" responsible for the condition called age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - the most common form of blindness in the Western world.

The Bolton Evening News exclusively revealed the findings in July, when Dr Kelly presented his research to MPs, and called for the smoking and blindness warning to be added to cigarette packets.

Now, the European Network for Smoking Prevention (ENSP) is backing his campaign.

A spokesman said: "We agree with Dr Kelly's concerns that there is currently no warning of the link on cigarette packets, and back him wholeheartedly."

Dr Kelly conducted a survey of 400 patients last May to see how many people were aware of the links between smoking, lung cancer, heart disease and blindness.

As many as 95 per cent of people questioned knew about the link between smoking and lung cancer and heart disease. However, very few knew about the risk of blindness in later life.

Dr Kelly said: "There are many myths about what causes blindness, most of which aren't true, but this isn't a myth - it really does cause blindness.

"So far the reaction I've had has been very positive. A lot of money is spent on advertising the effects of smoking, and this is right, but my campaign was unfunded. I wanted to do it to get the message across to the public."

The AMD Alliance UK also warned this week about the risk of blindness through smoking.