GROUND-BREAKING research at the Royal Bolton Hospital has been shortlisted for a national award.

Eye surgeon Dr Simon Kelly and his team have worked with Dr Richard Evans from the University of Manchester on research which shows that the link between smoking and blindness is as strong as that linking the habit with lung cancer.

Their work has made the finals of the Health and Social Care Awards, which will be held in London next month.

Mr Kelly, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon, collated and analysed studies that had already been carried out worldwide - the first time it had been done.

He also carried out a study of 400 Royal Bolton Hospital patients to prove the link between smoking and age-related macular degeneration - the most common cause of blindness in the Western world.

Mr Kelly said: "We were very pleased to hear we had been shortlisted. We want to raise awareness of the little-known ocular effects of smoking for both the young and the old."

The eyes and tobacco study team has been shortlisted in the improving health and wellbeing category in the awards, which are being run by the Department of Health and the NHS Institute for Innovations and Improvements.

Mr Kelly wants to see warnings on cigarette packets, telling smokers of the damage they could be doing to their eyes.

He said: "We want to get this message out on to cigarette packets so young people know about it, because they are the replacement smokers for the tobacco industry."

The Bolton News launched its Stub It Out campaign - which Mr Kelly backed - calling for smoking to be banned in enclosed public places after statistics revealed 29.6 per cent of people in the borough smoke compared to a national average of 27 per cent.

Last February, MPs voted with a massive majority to ban smoking in enclosed public places, including pubs, clubs and private members bars. The ban will be introduced on July 1.

Mr Kelly said: "I would like to thank The Bolton News for the hard work and awareness it has raised with the campaign."