A PIONEERING device which could revolutionise the treatment of sight loss due to diabetes was shown to a Government minister during a visit to the region yesterday.

David Willetts MP, the Minister for Universities and Science, saw the Sleep Mask, the first non-invasive treatment for sight loss, during a visit to Northumbria Universitys Northern Design Centre in Gateshead.

The sleep mask could save the sight of hundreds of millions of people with diabetes-related eyesight problems, without the need for surgery.

Led by Dr Stuart English, a specialist in design-led innovation, the team have collaborated with PolyPhotonix Ltd, in County Durham, to design the world's first non-invasive primary care treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy and age-related macular eye disease.

PolyPhotonix Ltd designs, develops and manufactures primary care medical devices and has worked with designers at Northumbria to develop 'Sleep Mask' as a home-based prevention treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy.

Diabetic Retinopathy is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina when new fragile blood vessels start to grow and often leak blood and fluid. It is a leading cause of preventable blindness.

Current treatments for Diabetic Retinopathy are Laser Photocoagulation and Intraocular Injections - procedures that are highly invasive, hospital-based and expensive.

The new Sleep Mask prototype, which is currently undergoing clinical trials, is a home-based, non-invasive, monitored therapy and will cost a fraction of the current treatment.

Dr English said: "The innovation resulting from this research is expected to have significant international impact. Diabetes is a disease affecting millions throughout the world."

"The product we have developed with PolyPhotonix is a treatment for macular eye disease that is non-invasive, saving lots of money over existing treatments such as using lasers and injections into the eye."