Linda Hamilton

Linda inherited a service in which only 72.5% of at-risk infants were screened on time. Motivated by the risk of irreversible blindness, she overhauled the Retinopathy of Prematurity [ROP] service across Northern Ireland, navigating complex boundaries across every HSC trust. Linda implemented a zero-fail tracking system which achieved a 100% on-time screening rate within three months, a gold standard maintained for seven years.

Meticulous co-ordination ensured that the programme reached its full potential, eliminating preventable blindness in neonates in Northern Ireland. By introducing wide-field retinal imaging and a new workforce of nurses and ophthalmic science practitioners, Linda has transformed care delivery. Non-medical imagers can now conduct 77%–94% of screenings, freeing ophthalmologists for complex cases. She challenged the lowering of the screening age from 32 to 31 weeks. An audit identified several infants in Northern Ireland born between 31 and 32 weeks requiring sight-saving treatment. Under the revised criteria, these infants would have been excluded, risking irreversible blindness. Collaborating with ophthalmologists, Linda advocated for the retention of the 32-week threshold regionally.