Three patients with wet
age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are taking legal action against their local primary care trust (PCT) after being refused sight-saving treatment on the NHS.
Wet AMD is the most common cause of sight loss in the UK and can lead to blindness in as little as three months if left untreated.
Anti-VEGF drugs have been shown to halt the condition and even improve eyesight in some patients.
However, three Warwickshire pensioners are locked in battle with their local PCT after it refused to fund their treatment and left them with a choice between paying thousands of pounds for
private treatment and losing their sight.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has described the situation as a "national scandal" and said that health bosses should be "ashamed".
Head of campaigns Steve Winyard said that over 50 patients had applied for treatment and all had been turned down.
"By making it impossible for anyone to qualify for funding, the PCT is heartlessly letting patients in their care go blind, rather than pay for the treatment that could save their sight."
