Discover our impact | What we do

Save Sight. Change Lives.

Fight for Sight is a funder. We raise money and invest it in scientific research that could save sight and social change projects that will change lives.

Over a five-year strategy, we plan to spend around £29m on grants.

That includes scientific research grants and innovative social change projects. We'll also invest in advocacy and innovation.

Saving sight through breakthrough science

We are turning pounds into promises. Our vigorous vetting process ensures that the scientific projects we invest in hold the most potential for people impacted by vision loss today - and to create a brighter future for the next generation.

The scientists and science we invest in will help us better understand, diagnose, prevent, and treat vision loss, from gene therapies that will help families living with inherited eye disease to cutting-edge techniques such as optogenetics that could preserve sight.

Research we're funding

Changing lives through social projects

We are funding social change projects that change the lives of people who are blind and vision impaired.

Fight for Sight commissions research exploring elements of what it means to be blind and vision impaired. We then invest in projects that build connections between people, to nature, and the outside world and that promote partnerships.

Our focus is on driving sustainable change.

Projects we're funding

The difference we make

Our impact
Read how your support enables us to fund brilliant minds and bright ideas putting change in sight for everyone impacted by vision loss.

Our Impact
Insight Reports
We’re investing in research that explores what it means to be blind and vision impaired, from employment opportunities to loneliness and isolation. Our reports ensure we fund projects that will have the greatest impact.

Insight Reports
Coping with Vision Loss
We fund projects that are changing the lives of blind and vision impaired people, who are more likely to face reduced mental health, well-being, and confidence, as well as lower levels of financial security than the general public.

Coping with Vision Loss

Why we do it

Every 6 minutes

a person in the UK hears that they will lose their sight
Just 1.2%

of public investment in medical research goes into eye research
£29 million

is how much we plan to invest in research and social change over the next 5 years
2.7 million people

will be living with vision loss by 2030. We’ll make sure life after vision loss is not a lonely one

FAQs about how we invest

How do we raise the money we invest?

Fight for Sight is a registered charity. We raise money through individual donations and through people who fundraise by taking part in events such as the London Marathon or Swim Serpentine. We also work with philanthropists and wealthy individuals and in partnership with private companies and corporations. We are registered with the fundraising regulator.
Where do we invest the money we raise?

We invest in early-stage science and scientists working to help us better understand, prevent, diagnose, and treat vision loss. We offer various grants throughout the year.

Thanks to our funding, researchers are working in labs across the UK.

We also invest in understanding what it means to be blind or vision impaired in the UK. We use the insights we gather to guide our investments in social change. We're funding projects building a sense of connection between young people, connections to nature and forging partnerships.
How do we decide what to invest in?

We run grant rounds across the year, and you can apply for funding if you're a scientist conducting eye research, an organisation working with blind and vision impaired people, or a person in one of our focus areas.

We have a rigorous review process and are grateful to have experienced panels, including the Social Impact Grants Assessment Panel (SGAP) and Research Grants Assessment Panel, advising our decision-making.
How do we know our investments make a difference?

Our analysis shows Fight for Sight’s expertise in identifying and carrying out research with a greater impact than that of other, often bigger, funders and among the best in the world.

Fight for Sight publications receive 80% more citations and are twice as likely to be highly cited than the world average. This is partly because we invest in early-stage research, enabling researchers to apply for future funding, which often leads to clinical trials and treatments.

We fund research into what it means to be blind or vision impaired.

What we discover guides the projects we fund - for example, tackling loneliness and isolation by funding projects that connect people to nature, which improves their mental health.