Author: David Gable

Sight Scotland has organised a petition for a new eye hospital in Edinburgh to replace the existing one, which is crumbling away. The following is a quote from their website:

The Scottish Government’s 2024-25 budget made no mention of a new eye hospital – despite the current building being declared unfit for purpose in 2014.

10 years later, and we’re still no further forward.

A new eye hospital in Edinburgh was promised by the Scottish Government in 2018, yet 5 years on, the opening has been delayed further. 

The Scottish Government withdrew funding from the project in December 2020, and have since flip-flopped back and forth on their commitment to it. In 2021, former First Minster Nicola Sturgeon declared it would go ahead but gave no timescales for its completion.

Over 180,000 people across Scotland are estimated to live with sight loss and this number is set to grow. Every single one of these individuals deserves access to quality eye healthcare. We can’t wait any longer.

Show your support and sign the petition for a new eye hospital.

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Mike Oliver, co-founder of the Keratoconus Group, long time trustee and ex Chair of the trustees. Mike’s contribution to the creation and development of the KC Group was immense. His ideas and ambition for what it could become were an inspiration to the rest of us. It was thanks to him that what started as some meetings of KC patients in Moorfields became a national charity. It was Mike who persuaded us that, in addition to our programme of meetings for members, we should also hold a one day conference, inviting a variety of speakers. The first successful conference in London in 2001 led to (so far) nine more in London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester. It was Mike who had the idea of fundraising walks for the charity with members joining as and when they could along the way. The first of these was walking the length of the Thames Path from the source to London. Mike planned the route for each day and walked the entire route (the only one of us who managed to walk every day of the fortnight)! A couple of years later he organised the equally successful Capital Ring walk. He gave generously of his time to the charity and worked tirelessly to spread awareness of keratoconus and its effects on physical and mental wellbeing. That included the last two years when he was already ill but, despite that, gave a very moving talk at our 2022 conference, you can view it – here. Perhaps it was his legal background that made him such an eloquent speaker and a great problem solver. But, of course, apart from all his achievements, we’ll remember Mike above all for his warmth and kindness, his ability to listen and empathise, his dedication to others. We will miss him hugely.

If any of his KC friends would like to attend his funeral, please contact anne@keratoconus-group.org.uk for details. 

A Photography Contest for the International Keratoconus Community

The US-based National Keratoconus Foundation (NKCF), Keratoconus Australia, and the UK-based Keratoconus Group invite anyone connected to the keratoconus (KC) community to share how KC affects perspective using photography. Patients, friends, family members, and eye care professionals are invited to participate. The objective of KC: Through My Eyes isn’t simply to collect creative images, but to help tell a story of how KC impacts daily life. The photo can focus on the challenges, express how obstacles are overcome, or share an appreciation for beauty that may be otherwise overlooked.

You can find details on how to enter – here

The KC Group will be represented at this exhibition on Wednesday the 11^th October 2023, 10am to 3.30pm at Steam – Museum of the Great Western Railway, Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon, SN2 2TA. Working with local and national partners, the exhibition is designed to give local people a chance to come along and discover everything available to help them regain or retain independence. This Eye Can exhibition is part of a series of exhibitions held on a yearly basis and to date has had almost 200 visitors at each event.

Wiltshire Sight is a charity that supports blind and partially sighted people living in Wiltshire and Swindon. Our aim is to ensure our clients have the tools they need to lead fulfilling and independent lives.

We are hugely grateful to Mario Saldanha, corneal consultant at Singleton Hospital in Swansea. With his medical student daughter Dea, he will be doing the Cardiff 10K Run on Saturday 3rd September in aid of the Keratoconus Group and to raise awareness of keratoconus and its treatment in Wales. Readers of past KC Group newsletters will know that, until recently, Wales did not fund corneal crosslinking (CXL). Mario was at the forefront of the battle to challenge this. But while the policy has now changed, lack of resources and investment in treatment means that young children and teens with Keratoconus are not receiving Cross-linking treatment on time (for young people, CXL must be offered before the vision has been significantly affected by KC and before it affects their education).

So please support Mario and his daughter and donate to his JustGiving page by clicking – here

JustGiving sends your donation straight to Keratoconus Group and automatically reclaims Gift Aid if you are a UK taxpayer, so your donation is worth even more. Please spread the word about this important cause.

At our AGM we were treated to a talk by Emma McVeigh about a new project led by Dan Ehrlich (retired Head of Optometry at Moorfields). Moorfields is funding an innovation grant harnessing advanced imaging technology and clinical data to improve the fitting of contact lenses for patients with keratoconus.

You can read the full update published on Moorfields website – here