Staff are a sight for sore eyes

Members of the eye clinic and eye ward teams at the Royal Oldham Hospital

A grateful patient has nominated the Royal Oldham Hospital eye ward and clinic staff for a Pride in Oldham award after they restored his sight.

Darren Hilton, of Stamford Road, Lees, suffers from iritis, a severe inflammation and reddening of the white of the eye.

Mr Hilton (41) lost his sight in one eye temporarily, but it was restored after treatment at the hospital.

He has been cared for by the eye staff for the past two years and said: “They are brilliant and have done a good job for me.

“I got my sight back because of their treatment and they go out of their way to reassure you. I have had to have injections above and below my eye, but they didn’t hurt.

“I have nominated the staff for all their special care and extra consideration during my treatment and stay.”

The team is made up of around 40 nurses, doctors and consultants, only some of whom gathered at the eye clinic to be photographed.

Dr Savita Verma said: “I think this is the best thing a doctor can hope for.”

Her colleague Dr Arpita Jain added : “This is a lot more than monetary satisfaction. We hope we can help people.”