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Our Impact

Our funding helps put change in sight.

Please scroll down for examples of stories showcasing the difference the scientific research and social change we're funding makes.

Our Grants Assessment Panels approve all the grants we award, ensuring the funding we award delivers the most significant impact, from ensuring refuges for people escaping domestic abuse are accessible for blind and vision impaired people to funding the next generation of eye researchers. 

A group of young people with vision impairment on a farm visit, funded by Fight for Sight. They are standing around a counter and preparing food.

How do we deliver impact?

Fight for Sight is a funder. Specifically, we fund brilliant minds and bright ideas putting change in sight for people living with vision loss. 

Sounds grand, doesn't it, but what does it mean?

Scientific research impact 

We fund research to better understand, diagnose, prevent, and treat vision loss. That includes funding early-stage research with small grants, which enables researchers to unlock future funding. 

A picture of Prof. Robert Maclaren sitting in his office. Robert wears purple trousers and a grey suit jacket - he is smiling for the camera.

If we can start a clinical study funded by Fight for Sight, where we can show some benefits, we know we can leverage significant funding using good preliminary data. 

Professor Robert MacLaren
Meet Prof. MacLaren

Delivering social change impact

We're also funding bright ideas throughout the UK that are changing lives for people who are blind and vision impaired. For example, Metro Sport supports people in engaging in sporting activities. 

The video below features Metro Sport and Professor Robert Maclaren and many of the people benefitting from our work. 

The power of togetherness: combating extreme isolation when faced with a rare diagnosis

Social change
A photo of ocular coloboma, where the pupil of a brown-eyed girl is shown to spread across the iris of the eye due to a 'hole' in the iris.

Improving access to Braille training and encouraging literacy

Social change
A young woman hands reading braille

Optogenetics research: lighting the way to Save Sight. Change Lives.

Research
Dr Jasmina Kapetanovic in a laboratory using a pipette

Extant's No Dramas workshops: Improvising to tackle loneliness and isolation

Social change

A deeper understanding of glaucoma

Research
Close up photo of a researcher placing test tubes into a holder

How Usher Kids UK is bringing isolated families together

Social change
A large group of young adults all wearing yellow hoodies are posing on a sandy beach in front of a row of colourful beach huts. Some of the people have their arms around each other's shoulders, some are kneeling on the sand. They are all looking very happy

Revealing the genetics of ocular coloboma

Research
DNA Strand on Fight for Sight and Retina UK funded researchers identify new cause of inherited eye condition – retinitis pigmentosa

“You can go your whole life without meeting someone with the same condition.”

Social change
A young boy is having his eyes tested, across from him and looking through an OCT scanner is a ophthalmologist wearing a mask

Revealing the biology of Age-related Macular Degeneration

Research
Heping Xu in the Lab working alongside a fellow researcher.

How a ground-breaking report inspired an audio drama

Social change
A person looking down with a sombre background, with the words '#The Unseen' covering her eyes

Developing a cell therapy for uveitis

Research
Extreme close up of the iris

More than just a walk in the park

Social change

Decoding the genetics of inherited retinal diseases

Research
Brightly coloured section of genetic code

Behind the scenes of Unseen, a gripping new audio drama

Social change
A black woman with a headscarf looks downwards while leaning against a wall, her face is obscured by the words The Unseen

Tracking eye movements for people with glaucoma by watching TV

Research
An old style television set sitting in front of some 'vintage' wallpaper to denote 'old-fashioned but simple solutions' The research this reflects is about watching television at home to test eye tracking for people living with glaucoma.

Farm visits for young people are enriching lives and creating community

Social change
Two young people visiting a farm, they are each holding a chicken in their arms

Improving safety for blind and vision impaired people experiencing domestic violence

Social change

Research we've commissioned:

  • Outside - Insight Report

    Research revealing people who are blind and vision impaired are three times more likely to experience loneliness and isolation.

    Outside - Insight Report
  • The Unseen - Insight Report

    The Unseen was the first ever research into the shocking scale and nature of domestic abuse among blind and vision impaired people.

    The Unseen - Insight Report
  • See My Skills - Insight Report

    A roadmap to ensure that everyone, sighted or blind, has the chance to enjoy the independence, purpose and meaning that employment can bring.

    See My Skills - Insight Report
  • Watch our impact video
  • Stories of impact