Hudds pensioner spent £5,000 to save sight - while treatment free in Scotland

Nov 1 2008 By David Himelfield

AN 88-year-old saved his fading sight by spending thousands of pounds on treatment that would have been free in Scotland.

The NHS has now agreed that it should pay for Frank Walkley’s treatment from now on.

But today the grandfather is calling on the health service to provide a fairer deal for sufferers of macular disease.

Macular disease is an age-related condition with 26,000 new recorded cases in the UK each year.

The condition causes the retina to decay, leading to sight loss and eventual blindness.

Mr Walkley, founder of Walkley Clogs in Hebden Bridge, was diagnosed with the disease in 2004, but until May, 2007, Kirklees Primary Care Trust declined to pay for his treatment.

During those three years Mr Walkley, who is also 90% deaf, spent thousands of pounds on consultants and medicines, including £5,325 for three injections of drug Lucentis.