Lucentis is now licensed and available for use in the UK but nearly 20,000 people will go blind before the drug is assessed by NICE say its supporters.
Rigorous clinical trials over the past two years have demonstrated that Lucentis (ranibizumab) can significantly improve
visual acuity in up to 40 per cent of patients with wet age-related macular degeneration.
Around 26,000 people develop wet AMD every year in the UK and this equates to over 500 people every week.
However, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is expected to spend another nine months reviewing Anti-VEGF treatments such as Macugen and Lucentis, during which time around 60 patients a day who could benefit from Lucentis may be denied this treatment on the NHS.
Winfried Amoaku, consultant ophthalmologist at Queens Medical Centre Nottingham, said: 'Lucentis presents UK ophthalmologists with a valuable opportunity: we now have the ability to stop the decline in over two-thirds of patients and improve the eyesight of many with newly diagnosed wet AMD.
We are looking forward to being able to use this treatment straight away, and hope that primary care trusts will start to provide funds immediately rather than wait for NICE to issue guidance.'
Steve Winyard, director of public policy at the Royal National Institute of the Blind, said: 'Although this is not a cure, Lucentis is great news for individual patients, as it offers them the chance of having their vision improved.
On a national level it raises the prospect of being able to significantly reduce the number of people being registered legally blind due to this condition.'
Tom Bremridge, chief executive of the Macular Disease Society, commented that: 'Early detection of wet AMD is crucial. Hence the importance of people having a regular eye test, particularly our older friends and relatives.'