Most of us will have an eye condition at some point in our lives that needs some specialist treatment. Every day around 250 people start to lose their sight - that's one person every 6 minutes. Sight loss doesn't just affect older people. In fact 21% of those affected are between 0-64 (RNIB).
Our sight matters. It's one of our most important senses and it something many of us fear losing. That's why providing the very best care for our patients really matters to us.
We've started building a brand world-class Eye Hospital in Sunderland. This is a once in a generation opportunity for us to develop this regional centre for excellence and build on our excellent national reputation for care and research.
Our new Eye Hospital is set to welcome patients in early 2026. It will treat over 130,000 people every year from the north east, north Cumbria and beyond. If you or your loved ones need treatment from us in years to come, you will receive it at the new Eye Hospital.
What is the Vision Appeal?
We want to make sure that your care is the very best that it can be. That’s why we’ve launched the Vision Appeal. This will help us fund state-of-the-art equipment, facilities and research that will benefit our patients, visitors and staff for years to come.
Through the Vision Appeal we can invest in things that wouldn't normally be funded by NHS sources. The things that improve not only the treatment you receive, but also your experience of care with us.
We never underestimate the impact that each and every donation has, big or small. By supporting the Vision Appeal, you will be helping us create a legacy that will touch the lives of countless people for generations to come. Want to find out how you get involved? Read on.....
What we want to fund
Just like mobile phones, technology changes very quickly in the world of eye treatment. We have set our sights on a number of key pieces of equipment. This is over and above the kit that we will install as part of the new Eye Hospital.
See our shopping list below;
Flexible 3D eye scanning machines
These machines can produce highly detailed 3D scans of the eyes. They are used on patients who cannot be scanned using the equipment we already have because of various health reasons or disabilities.
Cost: Approximately £200,000 per scanner
Visual field testing machines
Specialist machines that measure the central and peripheral (side) vision. They are used to diagnose a range of eye problems.
Cost: Approximately £30,000 per machine
Advanced ceiling mounted microscopes
These would be fitted in our new operating theatres to help with complex surgeries. We need four of these for our new hospital.
Cost: Approximately £200,000 per microscope
Motorised adjustable examination chairs
These electric couch style beds support our patients who are less mobile. They help us carry out examinations and laser treatments. We need 33 chairs in our new hospital.
Cost: Approximately £10,000 per chair
Phaco Machines
Used in surgical procedures to remove cataracts and improve vision.
Cost: Approximately £35,000 per machine
Ocular Motility Analyser
This machine tests eye muscles. It looks at eye position and movement. It can help diagnose a range of conditions, particularly in children, such as involuntary eye movements, strabismus (squint) and amblyopia (a lazy eye). We need four of these for our new eye hospital.
Cost: Approximately £8,000 per camera
Thompson Charts
Eye test charts that are suitable for near and distance vision testing. The digital charts can show random letters of varying sizes. They also include digital images that can be used to test children’s eye sight. We need 36 of these for our new hospital.
Cost: Approximately £1,000 each
IT kit for teaching purposes
Our new seminar rooms, boardroom and retinal unit will need to be equipped with the latest technology to support teaching across the hospital. This includes research.
Cost: Approximately £55,000
How can you support us?
There's lots of ways you can support the Vision Appeal
- You can donate directly to the appeal by clicking on the button below or at the top of the page. Or you can donate through our dedicated Vision Appeal donation page.
- You could chose to do some fundraising. This could be anything from organising a bake sale to running a marathon. No idea is too big or too small.
- You can tell your friends, family and work colleagues about the Vision Appeal and help them to support us too.
- You can leave a gift in your will, donate in memory of someone or give in celebration of a special event.
We're also hugely grateful for the support of individual philanthropists, businesses, organisations, grants, trusts and foundations who want to work with us to help shape the future of specialist eye care. If you want to know more please reach out to us at stsft.charity@nhs.net.
Want to learn more? or would like support in fundrasing?
Complete the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
