Recognising the importance of hospital staff being able to better help patients with hearing issues, the Friends were happy to provide a grant for 30 staff to attend sign language courses, provided by the award-winning training consultancy Signs4Life.

Terri Agnew, Deputy Divisional Director of the Bristol Eye Hospital, said, “We welcomed the opportunity for both clinical and non-clinical staff to learn British Sign Language, which will enable us to offer better support to our hard-of-hearing and deaf patients, as well as being able to improve communication with colleagues who have issues with their hearing.”

The total cost of the grant was £7,360.

21 October 2026

The Friends are delighted to have been able to support a significant enhancement to the surgical capabilities of the Bristol Eye Hospital’s oculoplastic surgery service by providing a new Stryker saw and drill system.

This equipment enables surgeons to carry out exceptionally precise and controlled bone work around the orbit and facial structures, which is vital when treating patients requiring orbital decompression surgery for thyroid eye disease.

Terri Agnew, the Deputy Divisional Director for the hospital said, “We are deeply grateful to the Friends of Bristol Eye Hospital for making this possible.”

21 October 2026

The Friends were happy to say yes to a request from the Optometry Department asking if we could provide a grant to purchase new trial frames.

Trial frames are used to check the prescription in contact lenses, as well as for refraction appointments and low vision assessments. They are also used in paediatric departments if a child has forgotten or lost their glasses.

Katherine Smith, the department’s Service Lead explained that the old metal frames are difficult to clean and keep hygienic – and replacement parts are no longer available. She added that patients found them uncomfortable and often complained about their weight.

The department has now bought four Oculus Universal Trial Frames. These have a more comfortable nose bridge and are made from a lightweight plastic that is easier to clean. The total cost of this grant was £1,526.

19 October 2026

The children’s waiting room was recently redecorated, thanks to a grant from the Friends of the Eye Hospital. Paediatric Senior Staff Nurse, Emma Sudol had told the Friends that the area was looking very tired and shabby, with worn and chipped paint on the walls.

She also explained that the existing bright yellow paint could be overstimulating for patients with learning difficulties and that calmer colours would make the environment better for patients.

The Friends were very happy to give a grant to cover the cost of the refurbishment that staff and patients have said makes it a much more pleasant area, both for children and parents and friends. The cost of this grant was £2,334.

19 October 2026

Rowena Mendoza, a sister in the Outpatients Department, asked the Friends whether we would be able to help with the costs for six nurses to attend a conference at the Royal College of Nursing in London.

She explained that the conference would provide the nurses with up-to-date knowledge on current best practice, new developments and national guidance in ophthalmic nursing, helping to ensure patient care is safe, effective and aligned with professional standards.

The Friends were happy to support the request. Since attending the conference, the nurses have shared much of what they learnt with colleagues. The cost of this grant was £1,542.

19 October 2026

If you live in North Somerset then you may be interested that Carole Brooke, the Friends’ secretary, and several other trustees and volunteers will be manning a stall selling our Christmas cards at the next Nailsea Farmers Market, which will be held on Saturday morning, 21st November 2026.

The popular market, which always attracts large numbers of people, is held in Nailsea’s High Street.

The attractive cards are in packs of ten, priced at £4, with all profits going to Friends of Bristol Eye Hospital.

17 October 2026

The photo shows Olivia, daughter of one of our trustees, on sales duty at Nailsea Farmers Market in October 2026

Sometimes, people make a donation to Friends of Bristol Eye Hospital or set up a standing order for regular payments, but we don’t know whether they’d also like to become a member of the Friends, or enable us to claim Gift Aid or hear from us in the future.

So we’ve created a simple online form that will help us gather helpful information about our generous supporters – and provide an opportunity for them to tell us why they’re giving. We invite and welcome such feedback as we can share it with the hospital management and staff.

Next time you make a donation, if we don’t already know about you, we’d be grateful if you could fill in the form so that we can make the most of your donation and understand your communication preferences. Thank you!

16 July 2026

Dr Alan Abraham, a research training fellow in ophthalmology at Bristol Eye Hospital, is investigating the possibility of using a new form of gene therapy to treat uveitis, which is a major cause of blindness in working-age people in the UK.

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Uveitis affects around one in a thousand individuals.

29 December 2024

Image: Anterior uveitis with active disease. In a 30-year-old female with active anterior uveitis, peripheral vessel leakage was detected using ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography. Source: A Prospective, Observational Study on the Application of Ultra-Wide-Field Angiography in the Evaluation and Management of Patients with Anterior Uveitis; Chi Y, Guo C, Peng Y, Qiao L, Yang L (PLoS ONE, 2015)

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Click here to view the video on YouTube.

30 November 2024

Patients, staff and visitors to the Bristol Eye Hospital in Upper Maudlin Street are praising the clean-up of the famous brick murals that are set into the wall to the left of the main entrance.

They were installed when the eye hospital was renovated in 1986. At that time they were the largest non-reinforced brick reliefs ever carved and were acclaimed as one of the finest public works of art in the country.

29 November 2024