OAPs' eyesight at risk in drug ruling

Pensioners in the West Midlands who develop a devastating eye condition could face going blind because hardly any funding for its treatment is available.

Thousands are believed to have the age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), which can lead to varying degrees of visual impairment. Yet very few get any NHS funding for treatment because of the postcode lottery for funding. Retired business office manager Edith Foxall, aged 71, from Codsall developed the condition just over a year ago.

She says she has been turned down for funding for treatment with a drug called Lucentis by South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust which could stabilise her condition.

Although she has app-ealed she says she fears she could go blind before health chiefs decide whether cases such as hers would be suitable for funding.It is thought approximately 3,500 older people in the West Midlands may suffer from the disease which can cause sufferers to completely lose their sight.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is set to issue final guidance on funding for treatment later this year.

Currently South Staffordshire PCT is going by older, more restrictive guidance. A decision was due to be taken later this month on whether the PCT should switch to the newer NICE guidelines but that has now been put back until late February.

Wolverhampton PCT says it is considering each case on an individual basis. Sandwell PCT says it is using the latest NICE guidelines to treat patients and Dudley PCT is carrying out clinical trials.

Mrs Foxall said: "You have to try and not let it worry you but sometimes you wonder how much it actually costs just to convene the meetings to decide what to do about it. Even though we may be older we still deserve as much of a quality of life as everyone else."

Sue Venables from South Staffordshire PCT said that the meeting had to be put back because, "we couldn't get the correct representation there."

By Health Correspondent Helen Cartwright