Countess Charity officially launches £200k Retinal Eye Scanner Appeal

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Charity has officially launched a £200,000 fundraising appeal to support its Westminster Eye Unit in buying a cutting-edge scanner that will benefit thousands of patients, especially children and adults with special needs.

The Optos Ultra Wide Field retinal scanner allows faster and less invasive scanning, with less need for the patient to stay still or move in different positions for the image to be taken, making it an ideal tool for young children, babies and adults with learning difficulties who often struggle with traditional eye tests.  

The scanner is designed to produce high-quality digital images of the retina, the thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye, enabling staff to capture wider images with less patient input.  

It also facilitates early detection, management and effective treatment of disorders and diseases found in the retina such as retinal detachments and tears, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. 

The Westminster Eye Unit, which treats over 40,000 patients annually and is the Trust's second busiest department after A&E, performs numerous procedures day-to day, but in recent years, the need for retinal imaging has grown significantly, with most patients now requiring some form of eye scanning.  

This high demand has created some challenges in capacity and clinic flow, but the Optos scanner will help address these issues by capturing wider retinal images in a single scan, reducing the time each patient needs for testing and allowing staff to see more patients. 

The ambition to buy the new scanner forms part of an ongoing effort to transform and improve care at the Trust, to improve the health of local people and create a positive patient and family experience, amongst many things.  

To date, £102,000 has already been raised for the scanner, thanks to several fundraising efforts, but support is still needed to reach the £200,000 target and bring this vital equipment to our hospitals. 

Angie Lopez, Head of Fundraising at The Countess Charity, said:

"We are very excited about the potential that the Optos scanner has for our patients and their experience at the Trust, and we are heart-warmed by the Eye Unit staff who are fully engaged in this appeal and have themselves been fundraising by climbing Snowden and completing skydives to add to the total raised. 

"There has already been some amazing fundraising so far but we hope to raise the full amount as soon as possible and offer a more complete approach to patient care."  

Pictured - Some of the orthoptic team who have been fundraising for the appeal.