A man who is going blind has been refused vital drugs needed to save his sight.

Mark Lindsay-Smith of Sheen Road, Richmond, has Choroidal Neo Vascularistion which means his sight is deteriorating.

He launched an appeal with the Primary Care Trust (PCT) after he was refused a new macular degeneration drug, Lucentis, to cure his condition and this week learned it had been unsuccessful.

The news came at the same time Twickenham MP Vincent Cable announced he was told treatment would be made more freely available within six months.

Mr Lindsay-Smith said he had been left in the lurch. "I am totally in a fix because I have no treatment at all.

"It was a shock. They said my case did not fit the suitable criteria."

Mr Lindsay-Smith, 50, received the backing of Richmond Park MP Susan Kramer who condemned restrictions being placed by PCTs on vital sightsaving treatments.

She said both trusts were currently only prescribing Lucentis in "exceptional cases", where someone had already lost the sight in one eye.

She said: "It is shameful that PCTs are putting patients at risk of going totally blind by placing unfair restrictions on who can get treatments."

Mr Lindsay-Smith said his condition had a huge impact on his life. He was previously a self-employed gardener but had to close his business because he could no longer drive due to his poor sight.

The treatment costs £2,000 per session with a minimum of six sessions required to see if it works - something Mr Lindsay-Smith says he can ill afford.

Director of public health at Richmond PCT Houda Al-Sharifi said: "The PCT cannot comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality. However, if a patient's treating clinician (i.e. consultant) felt that it were appropriate to prescribe a treatment not currently commissioned by the PCT, the PCT would consider this application through its Exceptional Circumstances Panel."