New laser surgery eye service in Cambridge

The first ultra-precision laser surgery eye service for NHS patients at a major teaching hospital has officially opened at the Cambridge Eye Unit at Addenbrooke’s, thanks to funding through The Cambridge Eye Trust and Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust.

The Peter G Watson Laser Surgery Suite is dedicated to the late Peter Wason, ophthalmologist and former consultant ophthalmologist at Addenbrooke’s and chairman of The Cambridge Eye Trust.

In 2016, grants of £150,000 from The Cambridge Eye Trust and £41,000 from Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust funded the advanced ‘Femtosecond’ laser, its installations and all building adaptations, making Addenbrooke’s the first hospital in the UK to install this state-of-the-art system to treat NHS patients at that time.

The new laser, with its ultra-precision, enables ophthalmology team members to manage a wider range of complex corneal and cataract disorders in a less invasive way than it could with manual surgery. Patients experience fewer complications, recover their eyesight quicker and return home more swiftly. Since the laser was introduced last year, over 500 patients have already benefitted from the advancement.

Madhavan Rajan, consultant ophthalmologist and clinical lead - Cataract and Cornea Service, said: “The Femtosecond laser, with its ultra-precision, is a game-changer for ophthalmic surgery. What takes 15 minutes to do by hand can be done in 20 seconds with the laser and with an accuracy and repeatability that hands alone can’t match.

“The laser brings the potential to revolutionise eye surgery in the East of England, improving patient care, surgical training and research at Cambridge University Hospitals. We are thankful to The Cambridge Eye Trust and Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust for bringing this technology to our patients.

“We have named the suite after Peter Watson to recognise his life-long efforts in advancing ophthalmic surgery. He has been a true friend to our department, working long after he retired to help make this possible.

“The cataract service at Addenbrooke’s has since been nominated for the innovation award by Health Enterprise East in September 2017. I am thankful to all staff at the Cambridge Eye Unit for their hard work and co-operation.”

Nicholas Sarkies, chairman of The Cambridge Eye Trust, said: “We are very delighted that we could support this innovative project at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. This is the first such laser given to the NHS by a charity, and we are very proud of it.”

Stephen Davies, chief executive of Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, said: “We were pleased to work in partnership with The Cambridge Eye Trust on this project to improve safety and accuracy when treating patients with cataract and corneal disorders. We supported the development of this state-of-the-art service with a generous gift left in a will to enhance care for ophthalmology patients. We’re very grateful for all donations that help transform patients’ lives day after day.”