A NEW eye scanner has been donated to a Hampshire hospital to improve care for patients.

Generous donations from charities League of Friends and Romsey Hospital Appeal have allowed Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust’s Romsey Community Hospital to buy a piece of imaging equipment that will help improve the eye care of many patients in the area every year.

The £36,000 OCT eye scanner machine helps to detect and monitor glaucoma, a common eye condition where the nerve of vision incurs damage, which can lead to progressive loss of vision if not identified and treated early enough. The scanner can also help diagnose disorders of the retina including macular degeneration.

The hospital’s brand new equipment will significantly improve accessibility to eye care since patients now only have to travel a relatively short distance to their local hospital for the eye scans rather than travelling to a general hospital.

Helen Cooper, nurse at Romsey Hospital said: “Most of our eye care patients in the local area are elderly so being able to treat them at Romsey Hospital is a real benefit as its closer to their home, has free parking available and is generally easier to access.

“We would like to thank the League of Friends and everyone who contributed to the Romsey Appeal. It really will make a huge difference.”

Elaine Granger, League of Friends chairman, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to be able to donate to such a worthy cause.”