Race against time to save man's sight
24/01/2008
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and the Macular Disease Society (MDS) have joined forces to help a 76 year-old Warwickshire man win a desperate battle to save his sight as his local NHS Trust is refusing to pay for the sight saving treatment he desperately needs.
Raymond Liggins, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, faces an agonising race against time to save his sight, following a refusal by Warwickshire Primary Care Trust to pay for vital treatment that could stop him from going blind.
RNIB and the MDS have taken up Raymond’s case and are making an urgent appeal to Warwickshire PCT to reverse its decision.
Raymond has the devastating eye condition wet Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) – a condition that can lead to blindness in as little as three months – and has already lost the sight in his left eye. Having now developed the condition in his second eye, Raymond risks going blind, unless his PCT agrees to fund his treatment on the NHS.
A distraught Raymond, who cares for his wife Olive, 72, who recently had a stroke said: "The PCT’s decision beggars belief. It’s morally wrong to let people go blind when there are treatments available. My wife depends on me to help maintain her balance when we go out shopping, but I won’t be able to do this if I lose my sight. There’s not much time left to save my sight and I hope Warwickshire PCT will have a change of heart."
Fearing that he will go completely blind, Raymond, who is also deaf in one ear, has been forced to raid his life savings to begin paying for private treatment. But with the money fast running out, Raymond will not be able to pay for a full course treatment.
Sight saving drugs Lucentis and Macugen have been licensed for the treatment of AMD, but a restrictive funding policy adopted by many PCTs has meant that only a small minority of patients have qualified for treatment.
Warwickshire PCT has said it will only pay for AMD treatment in ‘exceptional cases’, despite recent draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) which recommends Lucentis should be available to all patients who develop AMD, whether it is their first or second eye that is affected. This means patients are forced to apply to the PCT’s Exceptions Committee, but they must prove ‘exceptional circumstances’ to qualify for treatment – a process that can be long and incredibly stressful.
RNIB Campaigns Manager Barbara McLaughan said: "If Mr Liggins is not an ‘exceptional case’ I don’t know who is. It’s an absolute disgrace that he is effectively being told to pay up or go blind. We strongly urge Warwickshire PCT to reconsider its decision and adopt the revised NICE guidance now. The clock is literally ticking for patients like Raymond who risk losing their sight because PCTs are denying them sight saving treatment."
Tom Bremridge, Chief Executive of the Macular Disease Society, said: "This is an outrageous way for Warwickshire PCT to treat its patients who are facing a desperate race against time to save their sight. Given the extra cost of supporting people who go blind, PCTs are mistaken in thinking they will save money by denying patients treatment for AMD."
The RNIB and the Macular Disease Society have launched an advocacy service called Action for AMD Treatments. Any patient needing help accessing licensed anti-VEGF treatments should call RNIB’s Helpline on 0845 766 9999 or the Macular Disease Society Helpline on 0845 241 2041.