People who have liver transplants have double the risk of acquiring a largely incurable cause of blindness in the elderly.

Researchers found almost two-thirds of liver transplant patients had some form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and suggest regular eye checks for all liver transplant recipients.

The unexpected figure is double the level of AMD in the general population.

A team led by Professor Andrew Lotery at Southampton General Hospital studied 223 patients over 55 who had had new livers for more than five years.

Scientists already knew a mutation which causes a gene to produce abnormal proteins in the liver is more common in AMD sufferers, possibly causing eye inflammation.

The researchers wanted to know if receiving a new liver without the fault affected the development of AMD.

They found AMD was associated with the CFH gene mutation in the recipients' original liver, and getting a liver with or without it had no effect on development of the disease.

Mr Lotery said: "We now know much more attention should be paid to the eye health of liver transplant patients."

He said knowing AMD is related to a recipient rather than the donor liver meant present efforts to treat AMD may be wasted.