Essex: eye care gets a £1m boost (From Gazette)

Essex: eye care gets a £1m boost

10:00am Monday 13th October 2008 in

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A £1 million investment will mean patients in north Essex get access to sight-saving drugs.

NHS North East Essex (formerly North East Essex Primary Care Trust) has introduced funding for a drug called Lucentis, which is used to treat people with wet age-related macular degeneration.

It is a condition which affects the part of the eye used for seeing fine detail and as it progresses, the person can lose their sight.

Injections of Lucentis into the eye are used to treat the condition.

Mary Tompkins, assistant director of medicines management for NHS North East Essex, said: “Wet age-related macular degeneration is a key focus for NE Essex PCT, and funding for Lucentis is now available for patients diagnosed with this problem."