People with a vision defect are being given Vitamin B complex in research to study its effect on eyes.

The 2008 joint meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and European Society of Ophthalmology in Atlanta was shown the Indian research.

For the study, 48 patients aged 12 to 48 with progressive keratoconus were examined by Mohan Rajan and Sujatha Mohan of the Rajan Eye Care Hospital in India.

Keratoconus is a progressive eye defect where vision is distorted through thinning of the corneal tissue, it results in a corneal transplant for ten to 20 per cent of patients.

In the US, as many as two people in every thousand can have this defect.

Doctors Rajan and Mohan are using riboflavin, a B-complex vitamin, in corneas which are exposed to UVA light to investigate the stimulation of collagen fibers.

"In our study collagen cross linking showed promising results," Dr Mohan said.

The Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology was set up in 1980 to raise funds for research into eye care for the public.