Health service looks for help

West Wimmera Health Service is doubling down on fundraising efforts to save enough money to buy a new state-of-the-art optical biometer.

The service has relied on the same machine for more than 20 years and is in desperate need of an upgrade to efficiently prepare patients for eye surgeries.

With help from Nhill Lions Club, the health service is asking residents to donate money to help raise $70,000 to buy an Iolmaster 700 – a precision tool that measures eye specifications in a fraction of the time as the old machine.

To raise awareness for the cause, the health service is running a photography competition to complement the theme, ‘See How We Can Help You See’.

Chief executive Ritchie Dodds has also made a commitment to run a 42-kilometre marathon between Nhill and Jeparit.

Mr Dodds said the new machine would help meet the demand of an ageing community in Nhill and district.

“We’re an ageing community, so eyesight is even more of an issue. It’s crucial that we keep this service,” he said.

“When you have an ageing population it is great for people to come in with eye issues and come out from surgery and be able to see again.

“We’ve raised $25,000 already and we’re going to run the campaign for another month or two.”

Adelaide-based visiting eye specialist Dr Mark Chehade performs between 24 and 30 cataract surgeries each month and is the only ophthalmologist servicing the area.

Mr Dodds said the majority of Dr Chehade’s work was replacing cataracts in people’s lenses and injections to prevent macular degeneration, which if left untreated, can seriously affect eyesight.

Mr Dodds said the new equipment would enable Dr Chehade to work far more efficiently.

“We have an excellent eye surgeon and we want to keep him coming, but part of that is ensuring we have the right equipment,” he said.

“The new machine takes about 45 seconds an eye to measure, whereas the old one takes 15 minutes per eye and is more uncomfortable to the patient.”

Mr Dodds said the new machine would help to reduce both waiting times for patients and their need to travel to larger regional hospitals to receive the same service.

“Every person we care for is one less that has to go on another waiting list – the waiting list can be between six and 12 months for patients to get this service elsewhere,” he said.

“It’s so important so people do not have to wait longer, and they don’t have to travel to places like Ballarat as it can be provided here monthly at Nhill.”

Donations can be made to www. bpoint.com.au/pay/westwimmerahealthservice.