A NEW, state-of-the-art eye clinic aims to improve treatment and cut down waiting times for patients in Swindon.

The clinic, run by the Great Western Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust, is based at Eldene Surgery, in Colingsmead.

The unit offers a range of treatments, from general eye clinics, to specialised treatment for glaucoma patients and an oculoplastics service, which includes operations involving the eyelids, socket and eye ball.

The clinic, which opened at the start of the month, was made possible by a £1.6m investment from the trust to provide more ophthalmology services across the area.

Staff are delighted with the new services and the equipment at their disposal, according to Nick Smith, the trust’s project manager for ophthalmology.

He said: “We are slowly expanding our ophthalmology services to meet the high demand and this new clinic is one of the first major steps to developing our service.

“Having a clinic in the local community means patients can receive the same high quality of care in a more convenient and comfortable setting.”

Existing and emergency patients are still being treated at Great Western Hospital, but since January new Swindon patients have been referred elsewhere for treatment, until the trust can increase staffing and the number of clinics.

The trust is working with the Swindon Clinical Commission-ing Group to monitor demand, and it is hoped that the service at the Great Western Hospital will open to new patients again in the future.

Meanwhile, the public are advised to have regular eye checks to ensure their eye health is the best it can be.

Checks are important because some eye conditions do not have any early warning symptoms.