The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has donated an ultra modern eye equipment to the St Thomas Eye Hospital at a ceremony in Accra.

The equipment included an Optical Coherence Tomography, a Retinal Camera with FFA and FAF Capabilities and ultrasound Scan to diagnose retinal detachments.

The donation was in response to a request made by the Managing Director of the hospital Dr Michael Ekuoba-Gyasi two years ago to the church.

The equipment will allow Dr Kkuoba-Gyasi to perform special eye operations.

Established in 2010, the hospital provides affordable and quality eye services to the pro-poor and underprivileged.

Speaking after the presentation Dr Ekuoba-Gyasi thanked the church for coming to the aid of the hospital.

He said since the inception of the hospital eight years ago it has been providing between 800 and 1,000 free cataract and pterygium surgeries and screened 20, 000 people from the less endowed communities in Greater Accra, Eastern and Central  Regions every year.

According to him, in February this year, the hospital together with their partners from the US provided free Retinal Detachment surgeries to more than 30 patients who otherwise would have been gone outside for the operations.

Some of its surgical services include vitreoretinal surgeries, phacoemulsification, manual small incisional cataract surgeries (SICS), trabeculectomy, squint surgeries.

“We did not believe we could qualify for for the needed support,” said Dr Ekuoba-Gyasi.

He noted that the hospital was set to build an eye service infrastructure that provides total eye care to the needy and as part of its core values the management places special emphasis on the vulnerable and those living in extreme poverty.

The hospital also works with community organisers and international partners to ensure equitable access to high-quality care that overcomes geographic barriers, social disadvantages, and economic disempowerment.