THEY faced an impossible choice - sell their treasured Hampshire home of 20 years or go blind.

But now Lawrence and Joan O'Brien are to get free treatment to save their precious eyesight thanks to the Daily Echo.

The couple had already paid out thousands of pounds because the drugs they needed were not available on the NHS.

They feared having to sell their home in Rownhams to avoid going blind.

But after the Daily Echo highlighted their case, health chiefs have now said they will pay for Joan's future eye treatment, which was costing her around £600 for an injection she needs every eight weeks.

She said: "It is such a relief and I can't thank you - the Daily Echo - enough for all the help we've had.

"It has been very stressful over the past few months and we have paid more than £7,000 on treatment all together."

The couple were left helpless four months ago after Lawrence, 73, was diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration, a disease which can turn a person blind within three months of diagnosis. Joan, 70, had already been suffering from the disease for a year.

The couple were paying privately for injections of cancer drug Avastin, which although not licensed for eye treatment is used by doctors across the world to treat the condition because of its positive results.

Following a single £600 treatment of Avastin, Lawrence's condition has become stable and the couple are hoping he will not need any further injections. But Joan's condition is much worse. She has lost most of the sight in her right eye and needs regular treatment to save the sight in her left eye.

"Anyone else who has the condition like me should go to their doctor and request they apply to their PCT for NHS treatment as soon as they can," said Joan.

The couple, who live on the boundary between Southampton and Hampshire primary care trusts, found their case full of delays with confusion over which PCT they came under, which doctor was responsible for contacting them and where any treatment could take place.

"It has been an absolute nightmare for us and I wouldn't want anyone to go through the same thing," Joan added.

A spokeswoman for Southampton City Primary Care Trust confirmed that the trust has agreed to fund Mrs O'Brien's treatment.

"We will continue to fund the cost for ongoing treatment, on the expectation that this is carried out by an NHS consultant," she said.

The spokeswoman added that although Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust was unable to offer treatment in the city they were working with local PCTs to offer treatment in other places such as Portsmouth.

"The PCT is also working with clinicians within the eye unit at Southampton General Hospital on participating in the medical trial of Lucentis and Avastin that was announced recently.

"We are still expecting the programme to start later this year. This will provide us with robust evidence on safety, clinical and cost effectiveness, which will help us make decisions about funding and service development in the longer term," she added.

The couple's MP, Sandra Gidley, had also called for more action from the PCT to help them.

"I am delighted that a decision has finally been made but this raises fundamental questions about access to new treatments," she said.

"We need a clear and transparent fast-track system so that these decisions are made quickly and in a transparent fashion."