Corrie's Betty: 'I nearly went blind'

Coronation Street star Betty Driver has revealed that she nearly went blind after being diagnosed with Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) in her right eye.

The actress, who has played barmaid Betty Williams for over 40 years, faced losing her sight completely because she already saw little through her left eye. However, a private specialist injected her with Avastin, a cancer drug not yet licensed to treat AMD on the NHS.

She said: "When I discovered I had this problem I was terrified. I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm going to finish my life like this, not being able to see pretty flowers or anything'. I was petrified.

"I went to see this wonderful consultant. He put me on injections of Avastin. God, it's wonderful. My vision is clear in my right eye, my left is not much use at all.

"I'm so thrilled. I can see the birds on the tree, I can even tell you what birds they are. It's a wonderful treatment and it should be there for everyone."

Driver added that she continues to work on the ITV1 soap because she loves it.