The Peter G Watson Laser Surgery Suite is dedicated to the late Peter Watson, internationally renowned ophthalmologist and former Consultant Ophthalmologist at Addenbrooke’s and Chairman of The Cambridge Eye Trust, who championed the new service and sadly died of prostate cancer earlier this year. The suite was opened by his wife Ann Watson, hospital Chief Executive, Roland Sinker and The Cambridge Eye Trust Chairman, Nicholas Sarkies.
In 2016, grants of £150,000 from The Cambridge Eye Trust and £41,000 from Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust funded the advanced ‘Femtosecond’ laser, its installation and all the necessary building adaptations, making Addenbrooke’s at that time the first hospital in the UK to install this state-of-the-art system to treat NHS patients.
The new Femtosecond laser, with its ultra-precision enables the ophthalmology team to manage a wider range of complex corneal and cataract disorders in a much less invasive way than it could with manual surgery. Patients experience fewer complications, recover their eyesight faster and return home more quickly. Since the laser was introduced in 2016, over 500 patients have already benefitted from this advancement.
Mr Madhavan Rajan, Consultant Ophthalmologist and Clinical Lead – Cataract and Cornea Service said: “The Femtosecond laser, with its ultra-precision, is a game-changer for ophthalmic surgery. What takes 15 minutes to do by hand can be done in 20 seconds with the laser and with an accuracy and repeatability that hands alone can’t match.
“The laser brings the potential to revolutionise eye surgery in the East of England, improving patient care, surgical training and research at Cambridge University Hospitals. We are thankful to The Cambridge Eye Trust and Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust for bringing this technology to our patients.
“We have named the suite after Peter Watson to recognise his life-long efforts in advancing ophthalmic surgery. He has been a true friend to our department, working long after he retired to help make this possible.
“The cataract service at Addenbrooke’s has since been nominated for the innovation award by Health Enterprise East in September 2017. I am thankful to all staff at the Cambridge Eye Unit for their hard work and co-operation.”
Nicholas Sarkies, Chairman of The Cambridge Eye Trust said: “We are very delighted that we could support this innovative project at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. This is the first such laser given to the NHS by a charity, and we are very proud of it.”
Stephen Davies, Chief Executive of Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust said: “We were pleased to work in partnership with The Cambridge Eye Trust on this project to improve safety and accuracy when treating patients with cataract and corneal disorders. We supported the development of this state-of-the-art service with a generous gift left in a will to enhance care for ophthalmology patients. We’re very grateful for all donations that help transform patients’ lives day after day.”
Image :( l-r) Ann Watson, Roland Sinker, Nicholas Sarkies