PATIENTS at Warrington Hospital will be the first in the country to benefit from revolutionary new detection technology.

The Lovely Lane site is, at present, the only hospital in the UK to have acquired a brand-new diagnostic scanner which will reduce treatment times among patients with serious eye conditions.

The state-of-the-art OPTOS machine, which is worth more than £200,00, has now arrived at the hospital and will primarily be used to monitor patients with diabetic eye disease.

Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes where blood vessels in the eye are damaged.

Warrington Guardian: Ophthalmologists at Warrington Hospital alongside the new OPTOS machineOphthalmologists at Warrington Hospital alongside the new OPTOS machine

This does not tend to cause any symptoms in the early stages, but without prompt treatment, it can cause permanent blindness.

Screening can detect problems before it affects vision, and the OPTOS machine allows this scan to be undertaken quickly and easily.

It also results in minimal time being spent in hospital – something essential during the coronavirus pandemic and one of the driving forces behind purchasing the machine.

The prevalence of diabetes-related eye disease is 40 per cent in the diabetic population, and it is estimated that the number of people with diabetes will rise to 4 million in UK by 2025.

This, together with increasing life expectancy, poses daunting prospects on the current diabetic eye service.

Warrington Guardian: Images captured by OPTOS machine are assessed by ophthalmologistsImages captured by OPTOS machine are assessed by ophthalmologists

The ophthalmic team at Warrington Hospital says it is delighted to share the news of the brand-new diagnostic test.

It added that the machine will revolutionise the way patients with serious eye conditions are managed – including diabetic retinopathy and many other ophthalmic conditions.

The scanner works by capturing images of the central, mid peripheral and far peripheral retina which are wider than an ophthalmologist could see with a detailed face to face examination.

This in turn will shorten the length of time patients spend in the eye unit, minimise face-to-face contact, increase the number of patients that are able to be seen and improve patient experience.