Macula oedema following retinal vein occlusion causes central vision loss which is used for reading, watching TV, recognising faces and seeing fine detail.
A corticorsteroid implant (Ozurdex) is used in the treatment of this condition and can significantly improve vision if accessed quickly. The treatment was approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in July 2011 and should have been made available to patients three months later (in October 2011).
In February 2012, RNIB wrote to all Primary Care Trusts in England asking them whether Ozurdex was available to patients. We had an 80 per cent response rate and found that (as of April 2012) 12 per cent had no service in place and 42 per cent had a sub-standard service.
We are calling for:
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New treatments recommended by NICE to be made available to clinicians and patients within the recommended three month deadline.