A 46-year-old Telford father-of-two denied a drug on the NHS which could stop him going blind today took his fight for treatment to Parliament.

Allan Farley, of Shawbirch, was one of a number of patients due to appear this afternoon before the House of Commons all-party group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment.

Mr Farley, a logistics manager for Denso in Telford, was diagnosed seven years ago with punctuate inner choroidopathy (PIC), which causes sudden loss of vision because of small leaks or bleeds at the back of the eye.

Telford & Wrekin Primary Care Trust (PCT) has refused to give Mr Farley a treatment that could save his sight because he does not meet National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) guidelines.

He said two consultant opthalmologists had told him he could benefit from a drug called Lucentis.

But the PCT had turned down his appeal for treatment because Nice guidelines said it has not been licensed for his PIC and was only used in the NHS to treat advanced macular degeneration – an identical condition in the over-65s.

Mr Farley was being joined at the all-party group hearing today by Tom Bremridge, The Macular Disease Society chief executive.

They were due to tell the MPs: “Despite Nice giving the green light in August 2008 for patients with the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) to be treated with an effective drug treatment called Lucentis, a cruel and unfair postcode lottery still exists for younger patients who have macular dystrophies causing the same condition.

“Many are being refused treatment, a situation which is plainly unjust and immoral.”

A PCT spokesman said: “While we sympathise with Mr Farley’s situation, we considered all the clinical evidence available to us at the time of his hearing in coming to the conclusion.

“There was no evidence the treatment being sought by Mr Farley would be effective in treating his condition. We follow Nice guidance when coming to our decisions.”

By Simon Hardy