Man refused eye disease treatment

A man facing blindness because of a common eye problem says he is disappointed his local NHS will not fund his treatment.

Daniel Keenan, 66, from Byfleet, Surrey, was diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in his left eye in March.

He has had two funding appeals for anti-VEGF treatment turned down by Surrey Primary Care Trust (PCT).

"We've been left out on a limb now," Mr Keenan told the BBC.

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) said wet AMD was the leading cause of sight loss in the UK. It said PCTs nationally were funding very few anti-VEGF treatment courses, despite two types being licensed for use on the NHS.

Surrey PCT said a panel had concluded Mr Keenan "did not meet the treatment criteria because exceptional circumstances were not demonstrated".

The chimney sweep and his wife Sue said they understood the decision was made because he only had the condition in one eye. "I've got a dense fog across my left eye," he said. "If I put my hand over my good eye, I can't see people's faces very well."

The father-of-seven, who also has nine grandchildren, said that apart from seeking support from his MP or the Citizens Advice Bureau, his only other option would be to pay for the treatment himself. "Our daughter has said she'll sell her house for me - but it costs £1,600 for each injection so it is certainly going to be too expensive," he said.

Surrey PCT has offered Mr Keenan a place on a clinical trial involving an unlicensed drug, but he argued: "Why should I have to take a drug that's not even proven when there is one that will control and improve my condition?"