Norfolk, VA (October 2011) – The Lions Charity Foundation of Eastern Virginia (District 24-D) and the Lions Medical Eye Bank & Research Center of Eastern Virginia have jointly donated a Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer by Carl Zeiss MediTech to the Lions Center for Sight at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Each organization donated half the cost of the unit.
The $22,000 device helps in the diagnosis of Glaucoma, determining field of vision following stroke and the effects of brain tumors on optic nerves. It can also help diagnose a condition called Ptosis, commonly known as droopy eye lids, which can then be surgically corrected.
“This new device replaces one that was almost a decade old,” says Wanda Murden, manager of Patient Care Services at the Lions Center for Sight. “The old machine needed repairs and there were no replacement parts available, so a new machine is a huge leap forward in our capability.”
The Lions Center for Sight serves a large indigent patient population. Out of an average of 6,200 patient visits per year, up to 48% of the patient base qualifies for assistance through the Sentara Charity Care program or public assistance. The generous donation of the Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer by the Lions helps maintain that charitable mission.
Adjacent to the Lions Center for Sight (a Sentara service) is the Lions Medical Eye Bank & Research Center of Eastern Virginia, which manages corneal tissue donations for transplant at hospitals throughout the region.
Related Links:
Sentara Norfolk General
Lions Medical Eye Bank