THE Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation has invested in a $166,000 OCT machine and wide field retinal camera.
This state-of-the-art equipment will make a significant difference, eliminating the need for hundreds of children annually to either travel to Brisbane or join a waitlist for private eye examinations. Now, these essential tests can be done in our hospital locally.
Queensland Children’s Hospital Clinical Director of Ophthalmology Professor Shuan Dai thanked the Foundation for the purchase.
“The two devices will improve the diagnosis accuracy of eye diseases and its monitoring for children with eye diseases, in children especially useful for those with poor eyesight due to diseases in the back of the eye, optic nerve diseases and monitoring brain diseases such as raised intracranial pressure from fluid build-up in the brain. It will guide our doctors in treatment decision making and keep our patients and their families well informed of their conditions, so they know they receive the appropriate eye care,” Professor Dai said.
“For children, due to the complexity of their eye conditions, having retinal OCT and retinal images equipment locally, will save many children and their families from travelling to Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane for diagnosis and monitoring of their eye disorders as with these devices available locally, telehealth consultation can be easily arranged with eye specialists in the Children’s hospital eye department.
“Additionally, these advanced devices pave the way for seamless telehealth consultations with eye specialists from the Children's Hospital's eye department, bringing expertise right into our community in a timely manner," said Professor. Dai.
“It helps our junior resident doctors, eye principal house officer, registrars and consultants in their daily patient care by giving them the necessary tools that will help them reach the correct diagnosis and triage patients who might need tertiary referrals, over all improve the quality of patient care.
In addition, those essential devices will make our doctors enjoy their work in Cairns, so they feel they are adequately supported, and likely to stay or return upon completion of their specialist training.”
Foundation Fundraising & Marketing Manager Glenys Duncombe said it was incredibly rewarding to see how a simple purchase could make such a big difference for patients.
“With this equipment, patients can have their diagnostic test straight away, they don’t have to wait and it will make a significant change to our patients. We’re delighted that we can make this sort of difference to patients in our region,” Ms Duncombe said.
Photo: Zara Keegan undergoes eye tests with Queensland Children’s Hospital Clinical Director of Ophthalmology Professor Shuan Dai at Cairns Hospital.
