A WOMAN who lost her sight 18 years ago has been given the chance to see again -thanks to an amazing new device bought for her by North Yorkshire charities.

Pat Onions, of Pickering, has been registered blind since losing almost all of her sight at the age of 32.

But now, aged 50, she has been able to read books and see pictures again, after local charities teamed up to buy her a new reading aid called a Maxport.

The £1,300 device was bought for her using money donated by the charities after they were approached by Scarborough and Ryedale Carers' Resource, who deal with Pat because she is a carer for her disabled husband, David.

"It is just wonderful; I can't say enough thanks to the people who helped me to get it," said Pat, of Westgate.

"I've been able to read my favourite things again - Gardener's World Magazine, a newsletter about Irish setter dogs, and your newspaper!"

The Maxport, which looks like a pair of spectacles, works by magnifying words by up to 28 times. It plugs in like a computer mouse, and scans the page which the user wants to read. Although it takes a long time to read a page, Pat says it has given her back a crucial part of her life.

Updated: 11:28 Saturday, October 05, 2002