A DOCTOR from Corbridge is leading a new eye evaluation suite which features technology found on the International Space Station and is helping North-East and Cumbrian cancer patients.

Thanks to funding from the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, the Ophthalmology Clinical Trial Evaluation Suite at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle is playing a crucial role in assessing the health and safety of patients undergoing trials of cancer drugs at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre.

Two vital pieces of cutting-edge equipment, costing a total of £120,000, have been funded by Sir Bobby’s charity – a
visual fields evaluation machine and a state-of-the-art optical coherence tomography imaging device.

Dr Will Innes, from Corbridge, is leading the specialist team assessing the eye health of patients using the suite.

Their current focus is on monitoring patients being treated with innovative small molecule anti-cancer drugs, which are used to disrupt very specific “workings” of cancer cells.

Dr Innes said: “With these new drugs, the eye is ‘an organ at risk’ because some of the proteins or receptors that these drugs target in cancer cells are also expressed in the eye.

“So it’s essential that we closely monitor eye health during treatment and, with this new equipment, we can do that.

“Before we had this dedicated evaluation suite, patients had to visit two separate areas of the hospital to have their eyes assessed. In some cases, on a weekly basis.”

The OCT machine generates extremely high resolution images of the inside of the eyeball using coloured lasers that scan the retina up to 60,000 times per second.

Dr Innes adds: “We have the same OCT system that is on board the International Space Station, which gives you an idea of how advanced this equipment is.

“Oncologists are traditionally trained to deal with treatment side effects, such as hair falling out, mouth and bowel problems and the dropping of white blood cell counts.

“These new treatments require a different approach.

“Ophthalmology is now an essential element of new cancer treatments.”

Lady Elsie and son, Andrew Robson, were fascinated to see at first hand the detail produced using the new eye evaluation equipment.

They were joined by Widnes Vikings director, Brian O’Connor, to officially open the suite.

The rugby Super League team and its fans together raised over £80,000 – a good proportion of the money required to fund the suite.