This greater affinity for blue light is linked to the way that sildenafil affects the rods and cones in the retina, the cells that process colour information. Aspirin also apparently interferes with many of the nutrients that are specifically essential for eye health.

Taking aspirin can increase the turnover of vitamin C in the body, leading to a possible deficiency (BMJ, 1975; I: 208). Similarly, taking 3 g/day of aspirin has been shown to decrease blood levels of zinc (Scand J Rheumatol, 1982; 11: 63-4). Aspirin also appeared to increase the loss of zinc through the urine in this study, and this effect was noted as early as three days after starting the aspirin regimen.

Aspirin can also enhance the blood-thinning effects of vitamin E in some individuals. In one double-blind study of smokers, those who took aspirin plus 50 IU/day of vitamin E had a statistically significant increase in bleeding gums compared with those who took aspirin alone (Ann Med, 1998; 30: 542-6). This increased risk of bleeding could have a theoretical impact on the eyes.

Physicians themselves are suffering from a kind of ‘blindness’ that prevents them from seeing the obvious role of diet and drugs in the development of AMD. The best a doctor might do for an AMD sufferer is to put down his prescription pad and say: 'Don’t take two aspirin.'