<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A life-changing new drug is now available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for elderly Australians with a devastating eye condition that causes vision loss.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) can't be cured but it is hoped the treatment – injections of the drug vabysmo – will improve sight for tens of thousands of patients.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Patient Sushil Pillai, 60, from Sydney's Inner West has been having injections in his eye for three years to allow him to see again.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/wa-election-2025-ballot-shortages-electoral-commission-roger-cook/d5fb96e9-494e-424c-a005-cb2b01dc8f08"><strong><span>Premier says wait times, lack of ballots at WA election 'unacceptable'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I was very, very apprehensive when they told me they were going to put an injection in my eye," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The vision on my right eye was blurry, couldn't focus on things"</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was diagnosed with retinal vein occlusion, a blockage that causes fluid to build up in the eye.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/retinal-vein-occlusion-vavysmo-drug-pbs/592317b7-4372-436e-aa3e-b816d56d1d20" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>RVO is most common in people over the age of 60. It can lead to vision loss, blurred eyesight and colour distortion.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A total of 20,000 people in Australia are affected, and that number is expected to grow.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It can impact their ability to read. It can impact ability to hold a driving licence." ophthalmologist Dr Hemal Mehta said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Vabysmo is the first injectable eye treatment that works to stop the blockage.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It has only been available through a clinical trial until now.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/cyclone-alfred-baby-born-brisbane-mater/5b0906d9-cfed-437c-bfee-f9f907ac4bc7"><strong><span>'Doing very well': Mum gives birth during ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The federal government has added the drug to the PBS, slashing the cost from $934 a course to $7.70 for pensioners and concession card holders and $31.60 for other patients. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This new drug is not only highly effective, more effective than some of the others on the market right now - it's also the possibility of longer intervals between injections," Health Minister Mark Butler said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This is a major step forward compared to treatments we've had previously," Dr Mehta said.</span></div></div>