Could a Glaucoma drug mean the end of mascara?
A drug made to fight Glaucoma could replace mascara after tests found that it doubles eyelash growth.
The Daily Mail reports that the side-effects of Glaucoma treatment Lumigan are so convincing that the drug makers applying for a cosmetic licence in America, meaning it could be on sale in Britain next year.
The discovery came when patients being treated for glaucoma found that their eyelashes became noticeably longer, thicker and darker.
In a trial at Miami University, the drug, also known as bimatoprost, was mixed with a gel. Participants applied bimatoprost to one eye and a dummy drug to the other. The eyelashes treated with bimatoprost grew around 2mm in six weeks - twice as quickly as those coated with the dummy solution.
It is not clear how the drug lengthens lashes.
Last night, Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency urged people not to use Lumigan to lengthen lashes until its use as a cosmetic is deemed safe.