Businessman donates eye technology for children

Businessman donates eye technology for children

11 June 2025

A SIGNIFICANT donation by a local business entrepreneur will ensure children across Northern Ireland will benefit from faster and more accessible diagnosis of potentially serious eye conditions.

Dr Terry Cross, owner of the multi-award winning Hinch Distillery, has donated specialist equipment on behalf of the David Cross Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation.

Each year, approximately 4,000 children are referred to the Northern Ireland Regional Children’s Eye Service with care delivered through the Children’s Eye Unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital, alongside two outreach centres at Banbridge Polyclinic and Mid-Ulster Hospital.

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.

The donation from the Patron of the David Cross Foundation, has funded the purchase of state-of-the-art ophthalmic ultrasound machines and supine tonometers, which will be installed at the two outreach centres. 

Th 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, who showed her support for the work being carried out to improve children’s eye health across the region.

Ms Eibhlín McLoone, consultant paediatric ophthalmic surgeon and regional lead of the Paediatric Ophthalmology Network Northern Ireland, highlighted the significance of Dr Cross’s support.

“The Children’s Eye Service team is committed to delivering high-quality, equitable eye care for every child in Northern Ireland,” she explained.

“This generous donation from Dr Terry Cross means we can now offer advanced diagnostics in our outreach clinics, bringing crucial services closer to home for many families.”

Eibhlin explained the new equipment allows clinicians 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,” she continued.

“We are deeply grateful to Dr Cross 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 Cross said he was “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,” he continued.

“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.”