It may look disgusting, but scientists believe this worm could hold the key to battling a range of debilitating eye diseases.

The planarian flatworm is able to recreate missing parts of its body, even as adults, and it has been studied intensely by researchers.

They have now decoded the full genome of the worm's eye - and believe it could play a 'starring role' as a model for studying eye development and eye diseases, according to the journal, Cell Reports.

Professor Peter Reddien, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said: 'It's exciting to get this complete list of genes in one fell swoop.

'This provides perhaps the most comprehensive list of genes involved in eye biology in a model system other than Drosophila that can be used for rapidly studying the function of those genes.'

The most studied previous model for eye development were the compound eyes of fruit flies, as their genes are well documented.

But the worms present a new line of research.

Prof Reddien, along with graduate student Sylvain Lapan, analysed more than 2,000 planarian eyes, finding 600 active genes and studying 200 of them in more detail.

Several of the identified genes are known to have versions that play a role in the vertebrate eye but have not been found in the fruit fly eye.

Among these are genes involved in eye development and others associated with age-related macular degeneration and Usher syndrome, a disorder that causes progressive retinal degradation.

A key gene is the transcription factor ovo, which activates the expression of many other genes as the eye forms.

It had not been associated with eyes until the latest study, and was found to be vital for eye generation in planarian worms.

When ovo is experimentally turned off, planarians with head amputations cannot regenerate their eyes and eyes of otherwise normal adult planarians vanish after a couple months.

Ms Lapan said: 'Similar mechanisms are used to make eyes during homeostasis, regeneration, and embryonic development in planarians.

'We now know way more about genes that regulate eye formation in these animals than for any invertebrate other than Drosophila.

Planarian eyes are very different from fly eyes, and we're already seeing the benefits of studying diverse model species, like the discovery of a critical role for ovo.'