THE way octopuses see polarised light has led to the development of a device that can screen people for susceptiblity to age-related macular degeneration.
And the man who led the research, Dr Shelby Temple from the University of Bristol, has been named Innovator of the Year by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Dr Temple was investigating the ability of octopuses, cuttlefish and coral reef fish to see polarised light - an aspect of light that humans aren't typically aware that they can see.
He invented a series of devices to display polarised light to animals, and in doing so, realised he could see a pattern as well.
"What I was seeing was an effect known as Haidinger's brushes, which happens within the eye when people perceive polarised light, Dr Temple said.
"The ability to see this phenomenon is linked to an aspect of eye health and can be an early indicator of disease.
"It became clear that the tools I had developed for octopuses and cuttlefish could be the foundation for a novel ophthalmic device that could rapidly screen people for susceptibility to AMD."
In 2016, Dr Temple launched Azul Optics Ltd, a Bristol-based start-up, that is commercialising the device.
The Macular Degeneration Foundation of Australia website describes the condition as a "group of chronic, degenerative retinal eye diseases that cause progressive loss of central vision, leaving the peripheral or side vision intact.
"It affects the ability to read, drive, recognise faces and perform activities that require detailed vision.
"Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration, is the leading cause of legal blindness and severe vision loss in Australia, responsible for 50 per cent of all cases of blindness."
Macular degeneration is progressive and painless and although it can lead to legal blindness, it does not result in total or "black" blindness.