Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that slowly damage the nerve for vision at the back of the eye (‘optic nerve’) and is the leading cause of irreversible blindness.
The Eye and Ear conducts on average 1000 laser treatments per year. The hospital previously only had one glaucoma laser, but thanks to the Collier Charitable Fund grant, now has two.
Sarah Gladman, Acting Nursing Unit Manager of Specialists Clinics, said the laser has had a positive impact both for patients and medical staff.
“Having the second laser, funded by Collier Charitable Fund, has made a significant difference to the amount of laser procedures we can perform. It allows us to have two doctors performing laser procedures on any given day, instead of one, which ultimately doubles the number of patients we can help and decreases the wait time for patients – leading to improved vision outcomes,” she said.
![Glaucoma Specialist Clinic staff with the laser purchased thanks to funding from The Collier Charitable Fund.](https://eyeandear.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/13-scaled.jpg)
Olivia Myeza, Director of Philanthropy and Fundraising at the Eye and Ear, said the grant will result in life-improving outcomes for many patients.
“We know that Alice, Annette and Edith Collier had a passion for improving the lives of Victorians. We hope they’d be proud to know that, thanks to the Collier Charitable Fund, roughly 1000 people in 2023 will receive laser treatment that prevents further vision loss or improves their vision. On behalf of each of these people, we extend our deepest thanks.”
This story featured in the Spring Edition of Sight + Sound.