Hyacinths hold hope for blindness cure

The fragrant loveliness of the humble hyacinth may prove to yield the cure for different causes of blindness. Researchers from the University of Surrey, Kingston University and Indiana University have discovered that homoisoflavonoids, which are found in hyacinths, can stop the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the eye.

Two of the most common eye conditions that lead to blindness are diabetic retinopathy and wet age-related macular degeneration. With this new discovery, researchers hope that they could create synthetic versions of the homiosoflavonoids in order to develop vision-saving therapies. 

Details of the research were published in the Journal of Natural Products.