Thanks to charitable funding, a new piece of cutting-edge imaging equipment has been introduced at Kingston Hospital’s Royal Eye Unit, enhancing patient care.
Sight loss is closely linked to ageing and as Kingston and Richmond are two of the five boroughs with the highest life expectancy in the country, the Royal Eye Unit at Kingston Hospital is continuously seeking innovative ways to meet the needs of current and expected future patients with eye disease.
The new ultra-widefield retinal imaging equipment allows for more comprehensive acquisition and review of images in one multimodal imaging system, increasing the efficiency and resilience of the medical retina service. It also provides a significantly better assessment of the retinal periphery when compared to conventional imaging of the rear of the eye.
Charitable funding from Kingston Hospital Charity has enabled the Royal Eye Unit to purchase an Optos Silverstone ultra-widefield retinal imaging system and Kingston Hospital’s ophthalmology service is the first in England to deploy the latest version of the Optos imaging system.
Vasuki Sivagnanavel, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Kingston Hospital, explained:
“We are very excited to have acquired this state-of-the-art equipment. As well as assisting our COVID-19 recovery plan, by clearing the backlog of routine retina activity that built up at the height of the pandemic in the spring, the more comprehensive evaluation of the retinal periphery it provides will lead to earlier diagnosis and improved patient outcomes. I’m delighted this ultra-widefield imaging equipment is now operational and benefitting our patients.”
