All patients in England suffering from a disease which causes blindness are to get access to a sight-saving drug.
Lucentis treats age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of sight loss in the country.
The drug is already available in Scotland, while Wales and Northern Ireland have said they will fund it.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) had originally said patients should wait until they went blind in one eye.
The suggestion, made last summer, caused an outcry from campaigners and doctors, prompting a U-turn by the NHS advisory body in December.
The announcement confirms that draft recommendation and comes after a unique agreement between NICE and the drug's manufacturer, Novartis.
Under the deal the NHS will only fund 14 injections, with the cost of any more being met by manufacturer Novartis in a scheme dubbed "dose capping".
But the process which has led to the recommendation has caused much controversy.
With clinical trials showing impressive results, some primary care trusts (PCTs), which decide on funding on a local level in the NHS, have been paying for the treatment ahead of final NICE approval.
This has prompted accusations of a postcode lottery in the NHS and led to legal action against PCTs which were not paying for it.
In one recent case, three Warwickshire pensioners ended up in the High Court, winning an out of court settlement last month.
Wait
Steve Winyard, head of campaigns at the Royal National Institute for the Blind, said: "We've been waiting for this for over two years.
"It is a victory for thousands, delivery overwhelming relief to heroic people crossways the country.
"Finally the torment faced by elderly people forced to either drop their life savings on private treatment or go blind, is over."
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) comes in two forms - wet and ironic - with the dry form organism much more than common. However, the wet type is more fast-growing and is responsible for about 90% of cecity caused by the condition.
Almost 20,000 people a year are diagnosed with wet AMD in England.
NICE chief executive director Andrew Dillon described Lucentis as an expensive drug - it costs more than �10,000 for each oculus treated.
But he added: "That cost needs to be balanced against the probable cost savings.
"AMD results in reduced timbre of life and increased risks of illness, in particular in relation to accidents, and psychological ill-health."
Mr Dillon said the cost-sharing care could potentially mean significant savings for the NHS.
He expressed understanding for PCTs facing air pressure to fund many different expensive drugs from finite budgets.
Mr Dillon defended the length of time it took NICE to strain a terminal decision, merely said it was important all parties had the opportunity to have their say.
However, he said: "I am authentically sorry that it has taken us so long to obtain to this point. Lessons could be learned by everybody involved."
Do you have age-related macular degeneration? What does this decision mean to you?
In most cases a choice of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you united States Department of State otherwise in the box below.
Name
Your E-mail address
Town & Country
Phone number (optional):
Comments
The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media world-wide.
Terms & Conditions
More information
