FUNDS raised through charitable donations have been put to good use to supply state-of-the-art equipment to Basingstoke hospital.

The North Hampshire Medical Fund raises funds for advanced medical equipment at the hospital and the latest piece of equipment which has been purchased is an ultra-widefield Fundus Camera for the ophthalmology department, which allows ophthalmologists to get a clearer image of a patient’s eye.

Funds totalling £89,883 were donated to the hospital.

Varuni Gunasekera, clinical lead of ophthalmology at Basingstoke hospital said: “I would like to express my sincere, heartfelt gratitude to the North Hampshire Medical Fund for raising the funds to purchase a widefield camera for the ophthalmology department. I am so grateful for all the hard work of all those involved.”

The equipment for which the North Hampshire Medical Fund raise funds for is also used for training medical staff in the most up-to-date procedures thus helping to ensure that patients are cared for and treated by staff with specialist skills and experience.

Having the most advanced equipment at the hospital also attracts highly-qualified staff to work at the facility, also improving patient care.

Lee Heyward, ophthalmic photographer, added: “Due to the Optos’s imaging capability of scanning 82 per cent of the retina in a single capture, it provides eye care practitioners with information that helps early detection of disorders and diseases in the retina such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, hypertension and certain cancers. Thus helping save sight and save lives.”

Molly Hawkins, fundraising assistant at the fund, was one of the first to have her retinas scanned.