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Jason Owen from Mountsorrel in Leicestershire has the eye condition Macular Degeneration.

His case of the disease is not age-related, as he was diagnosed with it when he was just 21-years-old.

On 27 August 2008 the clinical regulators NICE decided that Lucentis, an expensive eye drug, will be available on the NHS.

But Jason used a different treatment for his Macular Degeneration, and it could provide a cheaper alternative.

Listen: Interview with Jason Owen

BBC Leicester's Lisa Teanby spoke to Jason Owen...

For James, Macular Degeneration meant that bits of pigment would come away from his retina, then blood vessels would try to grow through, puncture it and bleed into his eye.

It caused scarring and blind spots in his vision, and before he started his treatment he had no central vision in his left eye.

Last Chance

When he was diagnosed with the condition his doctor suggested using Avastin, a drug developed for bowel disease, to try and save his sight:

"He said, 'look, we're at the forefront of medical science, you've got nothing to lose basically, if we do nothing you'll lose your eyesight in that eye, so we'll try the PDT [cold laser treatments] and we'll try the Avastin'.

"And then lucky for me it's turned out really really well."

Lucentis was developed from Avastin. It is a more refined version of the drug that's been tested more extensively on eyes, instead of bowels.

The Road to Recovery

Jason's eyesight has now been restored to the extent that he can drive, read and recognise people again.

But while his vision was deteriorating he was supported by the Macular Disease Society and Vista Blind, which is based in Leicester.

He wants to thank them for all their hard work by doing a motorbike ride across the width of the UK to raise money for the two charities:

"What I want to do is try and give something back... Both of those organisations were really useful and helpful to me, they've given me a lot of support when I needed it."

Jason is starting his motorbike ride at Chapel St Leonards in Lincolnshire on 20 September 2008 and riding over 200 miles to Aberystwyth in Wales.

If you'd like to sponsor him, click the link below: