Patients at Hereford County Hospital are set to benefit from the latest technology for sight saving treatment following the opening of a new £200k mobile eye unit.

The unit has been funded by The Trustees of the Geoffrey Lewis Fund in memory of Geoffrey Lewis late of Southend Farm Mathon for the benefit of patients in Herefordshire and the surrounding areas.

Each year, more than 36,000 patient assessments, procedures and treatments take place at the Victoria Eye Unit at Hereford County Hospital, and the number of patients treated increases each year. The Geoffrey Lewis Retinal Treatment Unit is an extension to this service.

The purpose built unit provides high quality facilities and equipment for the monitoring and treatment of potentially blinding retinal diseases, such as wet age-related macular degeneration, and other causes of swelling of the central retina including diabetes.

Benedict Recordon, at Whatley Recordon Solicitors, Malvern, said: “As Geoffrey’s trustee I am pleased to have arranged for his estate to benefit so many Herefordshire people”.

Karen Webster, senior sister at the Victoria Eye Unit, said: “We’re extremely grateful for this generous donation and delighted with the modern facility the unit provides for our patients.

“We have also recruited an additional nurse specialist to join our team of administrators, nurses, nurse specialists, ophthalmic medical imagers, and consultants to deliver this service.”

Alaric Smith, ophthalmology consultant and medical retina specialist at Wye Valley NHS Trust, added: “The unit significantly increases the capacity of the ophthalmology service enabling us to see and treat patients sooner, which is vital when delivering sight saving treatment.”