18 October 2002
The Royal National Institute for the Blind said Nice's recommendations would restrict the availability of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for age-related macular degeneration – the biggest cause of blindness in the UK – to around 1,000 NHS patients a year.
A Nice consultation document on the treatment, issued in June, suggested that limiting PDT availability would allow ophthalmologists to collect information on the treatment's efficacy. Nice estimates limited treatment would cost £8m a year.
The institute's corporate affairs director, Anne-Toni Rodgers, said: 'Nice has not made any recommendations, nor issued any guidance to the NHS at this time.'
The consultation process ends on November 4 and the full guidance is expected early next year, she added.
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