It’s a disease that causes blindness in more than a million people every year.

Research under way in Houston could lead to a better treatment for macular degeneration.

Ben Warnell is only the second person in the world to receive an eye drop that could prevent blindness.

“The whole goal is to stop this process where you get bleeding and leaking in the retina, because that’s what destroys the retina,” Methodist Hospital’s Dr. David Brown said.

The wet form of macular degeneration is what Warnell is fighting in his left eye. It began with blurry vision that quickly got worse.

“i know from the time it started, and I noticed it starting, it deteriorated pretty fast,” Warnell said.

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Warnell recognized the symptoms, because his wife of 70 years is partially blind in one eye because of the same disease.

She particpated in a trial that resulted in Lucentis, the only FDA-approved drug for wet macurlar degeneration.

It can reverse vison loss when it’s injected into the eye.

The drops could be an even better way to manage the disease.

“If it works it will be a huge breakthrough, because you eliminate all the risk of shots in your eye like retinal detachment and infection,” Dr. Brown said.

Warnell was eager to be a part of the phase 2-A trial.

“Just try and hope for the best you know,” he said.

A drug known only as TG100801 could save his vision.