Rivals actress Victoria Smurfit in Belfast to give support to ​specialist equipment donation by Dr Terry Cross OBE to enhance children’s eye care across Northern Ireland

Each year, approximately 4,000 children are referred to the Northern Ireland Regional Children’s Eye Service. Care is delivered through the Children’s Eye Unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital, alongside two outreach centres: Banbridge Polyclinic (serving the Southern Trust area) and Mid-Ulster Hospital (serving children from the Western and Northern Trusts).

Thanks to Dr Cross’s generosity, children across Northern Ireland will now benefit from advanced screening technology that enables faster diagnosis of potentially sight and life-threatening eye conditions.

His donation has funded the purchase of state-of-the-art ophthalmic ultrasound machines and supine tonometers, which will be installed at the two outreach centres. These tools will enable clinicians to deliver the same high standard of care available in Belfast to children closer to home, improving equity of access and reducing the need for long-distance travel.

The donation was marked at a special event attended by ForSight NI Charity Ambassador and actress Victoria Smurfit, whose daughter Evie was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called stargardt's muscular dystrophy back in 2017, which, over time results in blindness

Ms Eibhlín McLoone, Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmic Surgeon and Regional Lead of the Paediatric Ophthalmology Network Northern Ireland, highlighted the significance of this support:

“The Children’s Eye Service team is committed to delivering high-quality, equitable eye care for every child in Northern Ireland. This generous donation from Dr Terry Cross OBE means we can now offer advanced diagnostics in our outreach clinics, bringing crucial services closer to home for many families.

“The new equipment allows us to detect serious conditions such as eye tumours and swollen optic nerves, which can sometimes indicate the presence of brain tumours. It also enables us to measure eye pressure in infants to help identify or rule out glaucoma, an urgent concern in paediatric eye care.

“We are deeply grateful to Dr Terry Cross OBE for his continued support. His previous donation of a cutting-edge retinal imaging camera enabled us to pioneer a telemedicine approach to managing retinopathy of prematurity, an initiative that has drawn national interest from across the UK and Ireland.”

Dr Terry Cross OBE, patron of the David Cross Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation, added:

“I am honoured to support the dedicated clinicians working to protect the sight and health of children across Northern Ireland. Through the work of the David Cross Foundation, we are proud to contribute to initiatives that deliver meaningful, lasting change. Improving access to high-quality paediatric eye care, particularly in rural and regional communities, is a cause close to my heart. I hope this equipment helps ensure that every child, regardless of where they live, can receive the best possible care.”

Dr Terry Cross OBE’s continued commitment to paediatric healthcare is making a transformative difference to the lives of children and families across Northern Ireland.