Back a breakthrough in sight loss linked to other diseases

With an ageing population, increasing numbers of people are affected by sight loss linked to another conditions, like diabetes, stroke or Alzheimer’s disease.
Working with partners we currently invest £3.8 million into 50 research projects into these types of conditions to better understand the mechanisms and to develop new treatments. The research we fund uses pioneering approaches, from artificial intelligence to single RNA sequencing.

Using artificial intelligence to detect Alzheimer's disease

Fight for Sight have funded Dr Pearse Keane from UCL aims to gain a better understanding about why people with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s have problems with their vision. He and his team of researchers will look for patterns in the eye scans to see how the eye changes as neurodegenerative diseases progress.
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Defining how every cell type in the retina responds to diabetes

Dr David Simpson from Queen’s University Belfast will for the first time be defining how every cell type within the retina responds to diabetes. The researcher will simultaneously ‘dissect’ out all the cell types within the retina to discover how they are affected during the course of diabetic retinopathy.
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Research to restore sight loss as a result of stroke

Sight loss is not just caused by eye conditions. From diabetes to stroke and brain injury, some of the most common causes of vision impairment don’t start in the eye. One of the studies we are currently funding is being carried out at the University of Nottingham, by a team led by Dr Ben Webb and Dr Denis Schluppeck. They are investigating a pioneering way to help people see after their vision is damaged by a stroke.

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Suzie Bushby who was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, said:

“I’ve had diabetic retinopathy for four years which has really had a significant impact on mine and my family's life. Every morning I wake up and am worried that my eyes will be worse. Research funded by Fight for Sight gives me hope for the future because it paves the way for new treatments that could make a real difference.”

Diabetic retinopathy

What is it?

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common complication of diabetes and may develop in anyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. It affects the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye (the retina). Diabetic retinopathy currently causes sight loss in approximately 95,000 people in the UK.

Find out more about diabetic retinopathy Return to main research page