Alice Mahon has been fighting for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration to be treated for free since she was diagnosed with the condition in 2006.

Previously primary care trusts in England and local health boards in Wales only had to fund the drug Lucentis for patients when they had the condition in both eyes. Usually this meant that they had already gone blind in one eye.

This prompted a massive campaign, which was spearheaded by the Royal National Institute of Blind People, calling for a rethink.

Then in December 2007 Nice made a U-turn, issuing revised draft recommendations stating that Lucentis should be available to most patients who developed the condition in either eye. Now that guidance has been made final.

Mrs Mahon welcomed the announcement yesterday.

"It is brilliant news and obviously it is going to help a lot of people who have the condition," she said.

"It is just a pity that it has been such a long time coming. It is an important thing to have your sight and if there are drugs out there then they should be available."

Steve Winyard, head of campaigns at RNIB, said: "We've been waiting for this for over two years. It is a victory for thousands, bringing overwhelming relief to desperate people across the country.

"Nice's guidance will finally end a cruel postcode lottery. There is now nowhere left for primary care trusts to hide – we want them to implement Nice guidance immediately."

Wet age-related macular degeneration affects the central part of the retina and is the leading cause of sight loss in the UK. The condition can lead to blindness in as little as three months if left untreated.

RNIB hopes another drug Macugen will be made available in exceptional circumstances when patients cannot use Lucentis for medical reasons.