Organisations representing the blind and partially sighted last night said they were outraged by the recommendation of a government advisory body that patients suffering the leading cause of age-related blindness should have treatment only for their better eye.

The Royal National Institute for the Blind and other support groups were furious at the proposal by the national institute of clinical excellence, which assesses the cost effectiveness of new drugs.

Nice's assessors have recom mended to the main committee that patients whose eyes have begun to deteriorate through age related macular degeneration (AMD) should receive the drug Visudyne only in the eye that still has relatively good sight.

"This recommendation is outrageous," said Steve Winyard, chairman of AMD Alliance UK. "If it is upheld, Nice is burdening doctors with telling up to 1,500 people every year they cannot receive treatment, despite there being an effective therapy available."

The new drug is the first of a generation offering "photodynamic therapy". It is aimed at the 5,000 to 7,500 new cases of retina damage through "wet" AMD that occur each year.

Nice, in the appraisal released last night on its website, made clear it had reservations about the efficacy of the drug. But patient groups pointed out the drug was routinely available in Europe.

"Patients whose circumstances compel them to rely on the NHS will be condemned to Russian roulette for their one good eye," said Robin Hill, of the Macular Disease Society. Anita Lightstone, head of the RNIB's low vision and prevention team, said: "This form of rationing is wrong."