Inside Salisbury: Great news for eye clinic patients

Eye clinic patients to benefit from Stars Appeal donation at Salisbury District Hospital

A DIAGNOSIS of macular degeneration and other eye conditions is now much faster thanks to a donation raised by two long-time Stars Appeal supporters.

The new 3D OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) machine in the Eye Clinic helps diagnose macular degeneration and other eye conditions affecting those with diabetes, which can lead to sight loss and need urgent treatment. Patients can be scanned and treated on the same day.

The equipment was funded by a generous donation from long-time Stars Appeal supporters John and Ann Kelly in recognition of care that Ann, who has macular degeneration, receives in the Eye Clinic from Consultant Mrs Uma Thakur and her team.

Consultant Mrs Thakur said: “With the 3D OCT machine new patients can be seen, scanned and treated on the same day in my one-stop clinic, which means our patients have fewer commutes to the Hospital for appointments.

“This new machine provides us with all the scans and images of the eye we need in one click so we can look at the scans and inform patients about the results straight away. It is fantastic for our macular degeneration and diabetic patients as we are now able to accommodate more new and follow-up patients each week and patients are waiting less time to see us and be treated. We thank Mr and Mrs Kelly for their extremely generous gift.”

Read more: Festive Fun with the FUEL programme

Mr and Mrs Kelly joined Mrs Thakur and staff from the Eye Clinic to unveil a special plaque in recognition of their donation.

Mrs Kelly said: “It is nice to think you can do something for people. The staff who helped treat me were so lovely. I can’t praise Mrs Thakur and her team enough. She was wonderful, making you feel comfortable.”

Mr Kelly added: “We did it for the hospital and knew this equipment would help people. We feel really lucky we came to Salisbury Hospital.”

The £37,000 machine is helping around 170 patients a week and takes scans and photos of the back of the eye in one click, which is speeding up the examination process. It is also helping to reduce waiting times for patients, supporting the Eye Clinic team to diagnose and treat more patients much faster.

To find out more about the work of the Stars Appeal, Salisbury Hospital’s Charity visit www.starsappeal.org

Main picture: Mrs Uma Thakur with Ann and John Kelly