25 January 2017

Charitable trust boost for cataract patients

Our Eye See appeal received a significant boost this week when Roger and Jean Jefcoate visited the ophthalmology department to donate £7,000 from their family charitable trust.

Dr Larry Benjamin, consultant ophthalmologist at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, said:  “The very generous donation from The Roger and Jean Jefcoate Trust will be used for equipment to remove cataracts and repair retinal problems.   We operate on around 4,500 patients with cataracts a year and the numbers are rising due to an ageing population. These new machines will keep us at the cutting edge for years to come, making operations much safer and more efficient.  This donation will benefit a large number of patients and all the staff at the eye unit are extremely grateful”.

Mr Jefcoate said: “We are pleased to support the Eye See appeal, being so impressed with Larry Benjamin’s work, both here and overseas; he is very much an unsung hero.”

The Eye See appeal was started in Spring 2016 and a vitrectomy machine for complex eye surgery was purchased in November.  Lisa Trivett, director of Scannappeal, said: “Thanks to Roger and Jean‘s tremendous support we will shortly be in a position to order a phacoemulsification machine to help improve cataract surgery.”