Stars Appeal funds new SDH Eye Clinic equipment

The Stars Appeal has funded a new machine at Salisbury District Hospital, to speed up diagnosis for macular degeneration.

State-of-the-art equipment, costing £37,000, has been given to the Eye Clinic on site, which means patients can be scanned and treated on the same day.

The 3D OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) machine also checks for eye conditions affecting those with diabetes, which can lead to sight loss.

Around 170 patients a week will benefit from scans and photos taken of the back of the eye in one click, improving the examination process, as well as helping to reduce waiting times.

It 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.

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.”

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 District Hospital.”

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