Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is pleased to announce that the South Molton Eye Centre was formally opened this week. Patients with eye conditions in Northern Devon and Torridge will now benefit from reduced waiting times and access to state-of-the-art equipment.

The brand new £1.4m facility has been developed at the former renal unit at South Molton Community Hospital. This was made possible with a generous donation of £500,000 from the South Molton Hospital League of Friends.

The centre will provide diagnostic services and treatments for people with new eye problems and people managing long-term conditions, such as glaucoma and medical retina.

The additional capacity and state of the art equipment provided at the centre will help provide a more positive and efficient patient experience, complementing ophthalmology treatments currently provided at Bideford Community Hospital and North Devon District Hospital.

Dr Liz Wilkinson, Ophthalmology Consultant at the Royal Devon, said: “This is fantastic news for our patients. Not only will it enable us to reduce waiting times and so lowering the risk of people’s eye conditions getting worse, but it will also allow us to deliver the very latest eye care here in Northern Devon.

She added: “This was a fantastic community collaboration, in which the community told us what they wanted. We were supported both by the South Molton League of Friends, and the Royal Devon, to do things differently. We’ve attracted staff from London who have come back to Northern Devon to work, which is fantastic, and we also want to appoint local staff.”

Cutting the ribbon at the new unit, David Goodman, Chairman of the South Molton Hospital League of Friends, said: “We are delighted that this is happening.” He added that he was really pleased to see the former renal unit being put to good use again.