A war veteran has been overwhelmed by offers of help since the NHS said it would no longer be prescribing him tablets which could slow down his sight loss.

Charles Stone, known as Vic, said he felt “betrayed” after the health service put an end to his prescription of Macushield.

He had been getting the medication since he was diagnosed in October 2018 with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which causes sufferers to gradually lose their central vision.

But since the 94-year-old, who lives in Halfway, on Sheppey, received the news from the DMC clinic at Sheppey hospital, well-wishers have stepped in to help.

Two members of the public even offered to pay for his medication – with one offering to fund the yearly £300 over-the-counter charge, and the other happy to cover the cost for the rest of Vic’s life.

Meanwhile Alliance Pharmaceuticals, based in Wiltshire, has said it will send Vic some Macushield capsules as a gesture of goodwill.

Vic, a Second World War veteran who served in Burma and spent 28 years in the Royal Navy Auxiliary Service, said he was “truly grateful” for all the support he had received.

He added: “I really appreciate it from my heart that all these people want to give me some support, they needn’t have done so it’s very good of them indeed.

“It’s extremely kind and I can’t thank them all enough.

“Those two chaps who offered to pay for me, they were concerned about my welfare and offered to help – it’s remarkable, beyond words. I am overwhelmed.”

It is now three months that Vic has been without his Macushield capsules. They do not cure AMD, but are thought to retard the progress of it.

But DMC Healthcare told Vic the decision to stop his prescription followed a review of the medication’s cost-effectiveness by NHS England.

“It makes me feel dreadful that eventually I will lose my central vision,” Vic said.

“But to know I’m going to be sent some more capsules makes me feel much better in myself.

“It takes a lot of stress away from the situation and you get that good feeling inside that someone cares.”

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