Major investment for Ophthalmology services

Investment by York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust last year has given a £1million boost to Ophthalmology services on the East Coast which will see patients receive better and faster treatment for eye conditions.

Brand new diagnostic equipment has been purchased for Scarborough, Malton, Bridlington and York hospitals, which replaces the old machines, some of which were 20 years old.

Jan van Der Hoek, Ophthalmology Consultant at Scarborough Hospital, said: “We’re delighted with this investment by the Trust. The new machines are better quality than before, plus we have a range of extra equipment. This means less invasive and shorter treatment times for patients.

“There has also been a significant investment in clinical, nursing and technical staff which will allow the team to expand their services to meet the demand of the local population.”

From the replacement of patient chairs on Willow Ward to cameras, lasers and analysers to diagnose and treat glaucoma – the department will now provide much improved care for patients. Pride of place at Scarborough Hospital is the state of the art laser technology that allows treatment to reduce the number of patients relying on long term eye drop medication, thus reducing the number of patient visits to clinic.

New cutting-edge technology is also offered at York Hospital with the introduction of an endo cyclodiode laser. The machine shows the precise target tissue for treatment in the eyes of patients having cataract surgery. Up to now it has only been available in Leeds and Manchester.

In addition to the investment by the Trust, thanks goes to the Malton League of Friends who have funded all new equipment for Malton Hospital. This includes visual field analysers that measure people’s field of vision, an advanced retinal camera and technology that can scan people’s eyes and track eye disease.

Consultant Ophthalmologist, Richard Gale, added: “This investment will provide much improved care for our patients across all sites enabling us to monitor any changes in condition and respond to these changes in a timelier manner.”

20 January 2020