Couple Forced to Choose Which One of Them Should Go Blind

A health trust has saved a couple from taking the agonising decision of which one of them should go blind.

It agreed yesterday to fund treatment for one of the pensioners following claims that the availability of sight-saving drugs on the NHS was a postcode lottery.

Ron and Olive Roberts praised the campaigning of the RNIB after hearing that Mrs Roberts would be treated on the NHS

Olive Roberts, 79, and her husband of 57 years, Ronald, 81, both have wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness in Britain.

They were told that they needed urgent treatment that could save their sight. However, if they wanted the treatment quickly, they said they were also told they would have to pay for it privately, even though the drugs were licensed for use on the NHS.

The couple said the drug treatment they needed would cost each of them £600 a month, over a period of up to two years. They could not afford two treatments, so they agreed that Mrs Roberts should have the drugs because her sight was deteriorating faster.

The couple, from Malmesbury, Wilts, applied to the PCT for funding two months ago, and the Royal National Institute for the Blind campaigned on their behalf. Last night, the Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT said in a statement that it had met yesterday to discuss the case and it had agreed to fund Mrs Roberts's treatment as soon as possible. Mr Roberts required a further test before it could be decided what was the most appropriate treatment for his condition.

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August: Designated as Cataract Awareness Month

Month of August has been declared as "Children's Eye and Safety Month" as well as "Cataract Awareness Month" by the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization, Prevent Blindness America.

There are two different sides of needs of eye care, for children, healthy eyes and good vision are not only vital to their ability to see but also their ability to learn and function in today's society and for senior citizens, the modern technology will enable them to live more enjoyable and productive lives.

Protection for eyes of children:
Respected health organizations now warn that good eyesight in children is directly linked to their ability to learn. The American Public Health Association points out that 25 percent of students in kindergarten through sixth grade have visual problems serious enough to impede learning. There are also reports that 60 percent of children with learning disabilities have undiagnosed vision problems. Early detection of eye problems is paramount.

Protection for eyes of adults:
Modern technology has enabled seniors to discover a "whole new world" of eyesight. Seniors are not content to go "quietly into the night." They want to be active and productive as long as they can. In the 1960s, cataracts were removed in surgery only if the eye was completely blind. Surgery was long and complicated, and patients had to stay in the hospital two weeks, often with their heads held in place by sandbags.

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