Lighthouse Reacts to the UK Decision to Deny AMD Treatments
July 9, 2007
Mr. Andrew Dillon, CEO
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
Re: Restricting Effective Treatment for People with Age-related Macular Degeneration in England and Wales
Dear Mr. Dillon,
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an urgently pressing global health issue, is the primary cause of visual deficiency in industrialized countries (World Health Organization). The prevalence of AMD among our dramatically increasing aging population is taking an enormous toll on millions of people today, and will continue to do so in even-more staggering numbers in the coming years. AMD causes not only significant central vision loss, but also a profound loss of independence, safety and employment.
Research documents an increase in clinical depression and excess disability among people living with the overwhelming effects of vision impairment. While the healthcare costs associated with loss of independence and increased disability are alarmingly excessive, the human costs are simply incalculable. Denying proven, effective anti-VEGF treatments that can preserve vision -- and stave off the devastating consequences of vision loss -- for anyone with the wet form of AMD in England and Wales is unconscionable; doing so for 80% of the population is beyond comprehension. This position is even more disconcerting considering the fact that this treatment is being used so effectively in the United States.
Lighthouse International, a leading vision healthcare service provider for people facing the consequences of uncorrectable vision loss due to AMD and other diseases, is a member of the Board of AMD Alliance International. We join our colleagues at AMD Alliance International, at RNIB and elsewhere on behalf of millions of people living with AMD in urging the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to reconsider its decision to limit treatment to a small number of people in England and Wales who, equally incomprehensibly, have to have become blind in one eye before they can qualify for treatment.
The timeliness of intervention in AMD is absolutely critical; delaying proven, safe treatment for those with wet AMD can lead to rapid deterioration in vision. The cost-effectiveness of early AMD treatment has been clearly documented, as has the enhanced quality of life these interventions afford. Denial of access to treatment and the prevention of vision loss for any reason are, simply, inhumane.
Equally inhumane is denying people who lose any vision access to the restorative benefits of professional low vision/vision rehabilitation services and devices that restore functioning, safety and independence. These services are critical to ensuring a complete continuum of care for people everywhere with AMD and other conditions that destroy sight.
Profound vision loss has profound negative consequences for all of us. I implore you to reassess your preliminary recommendations.
Sincerely,
Tara A. Cortes, PhD, RN
President and CEO
Lighthouse International