Ms McHugh, of Wigan, Greater Manchester, has been profoundly deaf since birth and was just months away from losing her sight due to the eye condition. Ten per cent have the wet form. These can leak fluid, causing scar tissue to form and destroying central vision in a period of between two months and three years.
Peripheral vision is retained.
The condition causes problems reading, seeing small objects and distorted vision. Ms McHugh was already blind in her left eye and used her right eye to understand sign language and communicate with the world around her. The operation has been successful in clinical trials in Europe and the USA, according to a study published a month ago. Photo dynamic therapy is thought to be suitable for around a third of patients with wet AMD since it is effective only if the condition is caught early. It involves injecting a light sensitive dye called Visudyne into the body which sticks to the lining of abnormal blood vessels within the retina.