Donation enables SaTH to buy Ophthalmology equipment to benefit children

A generous donation by a Shropshire charity has enabled The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) to purchase two new retinoscopes which will benefit youngsters across the county.

Sight Loss Shropshire (SLS) has kindly paid for the new eye equipment, which will be used by the SaTH’s Paediatric Ophthalmology team, and which will replace two old retinoscopes.

Anna Turner, SLS Chairman and the next Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, joined SLS Secretary Robin Durham, to present a cheque for £1226.39 for the retinoscopes to Andrea Elkan, Paediatric Ophthalmology Consultant at SaTH.

Robin said: “We are delighted that our donation means that our local hospital’s Paediatric Eye Clinic can purchase pieces of equipment that will be of such benefit to children with sight loss, and will help hundreds of children in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin over the life-span of the equipment.”

Andrea said: “We are incredibly grateful to Sight Loss Shropshire for their very generous donation. The retinoscopes will be for use on children at both the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

“Retinoscopes are used by Opticians and Ophthalmologists within outpatients’ clinics at the hospitals to determine whether the patients have a problem with focusing on light accurately. If the child fails the test, they may need further intervention to improve their sight.

“Any improvements in sight are really beneficial for children and can make such a difference to their learning and daily tasks.”

Sight Loss Shropshire is the local society for blind people and helps those with sight loss of all ages across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin. The charity provides information, advice and support to help improve the quality of life of blind and visually impaired people who live locally.