Aston University has joined forces with a major UK pharmaceutical company to deliver improved care for patients with eye disease, allergies and other conditions.

Aston's School of Life and Health Sciences is working with Spectrum Théa to offer improved health support and advice to patients. Aston has a strong research tradition in ophthalmic care. Researchers will be providing members of the pharmaceutical team with expert clinical knowledge and support with regard to a range of eye conditions including blepharitis, an inflammation of the eyelids, and dry eye.

The collaboration, created through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), will also provide an opportunity for increased awareness of ocular health and nutrition among patients and health practitioners. KTP's are designed to allow businesses to access University knowledge and expertise, with Aston having a strong track record in this area.

Dr Hannah Bartlett, lead Academic on the project said, 'This partnership provides a unique opportunity to improve public awareness of the link between nutrition and eye disease, and to translate our expertise in the role of nutritional supplements for ocular disease into practical support for Spectrum Théa, eye care professionals, and patients.'

Philip Lewis Williams, Managing Director at Spectrum- Théa added, 'We are delighted to be working with Aston University and to have a KTP involved in the business. In the past 3 years we have established ourselves as a leading provider of quality ophthalmic medicines in the UK and lead the way in providing preservative free pharmaceuticals for the ophthalmic profession. We envisage that the KTP will help in many facets of training, materials, research and presentations during this very exciting growth stage.'

Aston University has been involved in KTP's with a wide range of high profile public and private sector organisations including E.On, Tata Motors, and the NHS. This commitment to liaising and providing support to business has seen Aston place at 12th nationally for university KTP activity according to statistics published by the Government's Technology Strategy Board.