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A new study raises the possibility that eye drops prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration, one of the most common forms of blindness.

Cholesterol build-up in arteries and veins, or atherosclerosis, occurs as a natural consequence of aging. Likewise, in AMD, cholesterol is known to accumulate in the eye, within deposits called drusen. The study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism , showed how high cholesterol levels could affect the immune system and lead to macular degeneration.

Researchers used mice and humans to perform the tests on and found that immune cells became destructive when they were clogged with fats.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine  found that both age-related macular degeneration and atherosclerosis both share the same underlying defect: the inability to remove a buildup of fat and cholesterol. Eye drops containing a type of drug known to promote cholesterol release from macrophages, called a liver X receptor (LXR) agonist, helped restore macrophage function and prevent AMD progression in a mouse model.

"Based on our findings, we need to investigate whether vision loss caused by macular degeneration could be prevented with cholesterol-lowering eye drops or other medications that might prevent the buildup of lipids beneath the retina," says Rajendra Apte, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of ophthalmology and vision sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Aptesaid the role of macrophages changed and they triggered the production of new blood vessels.

"Instead of being protective, they accelerate the disease, but we didn't understand why they switched to become the bad cells," he told the BBC.

Normally the cells can "eat" fatty deposits and send them back into the blood.

"This study points to a novel strategy for early intervention to prevent the progression of AMD to the severe neovascular form of the disease," said Grace Shen, Ph.D., a program director at NIH's National Eye Institute, which funded the research.

Others cautioned that the research was still at an early stage.