PATIENTS with eye conditions are set to benefit from a £5,000 donation made to Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust.

The donation will be put toward the cost of a slit lamp for the ophthalmology department at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Doctors and nurses will use the lamp to examine the hospital's 32,000 patients with eye problems, allowing them to assess the general condition of the eye before making a diagnosis.

The cash was part of a £1 million windfall given to health-related charities in recent years by the non-profit organisation HealthSure.

Beverley Andrew, director of operations for Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "This is a very generous gift and one which will be much appreciated and it will benefit hundreds of patients."

HealthSure was formed from the Manchester and Salford Hospital Saturday fund and the Northampton-based Healthcare Insurance Alliance. Chief executive Richard Sear said: "I hope it will prove to be an efficient resource in the eye unit. It's great to be able to make this addition possible."