‘The Eye Have It’ and the fight to end sight loss

Did you know that reducing the prevalence of eye conditions by just one percent per year could avoid costs to the UK economy of up to £3.1 billion by the end of the decade? Clinical eye research and more investment towards new discoveries should be key to tackling this prevalence.

Fight for Sight is the leading UK charity 100% dedicated to funding sight-saving research. With the help of our supporters, we have been funding research for over 50 years.

The UK is a world leader in eye research, and work funded by Fight for Sight has a demonstrably high impact. For example, UK eye research receives over 10 percent more citations than the world average, and Fight for Sight-funded research is cited 80 percent more. Early-stage funding is crucial to getting potentially ground-breaking projects off the ground.

A much-needed alliance

‘The Eyes Have It’ is a partnership of Roche, Fight for Sight, the Macular Society, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the Association of Optometrists.

So why does TEHI exist and why is Fight for Sight involved?

Research suggests that between 15 and 22 patients a month will suffer severe deterioration of vision (including permanent sight loss) resulting from delays to follow-up care; and that patients in England with deteriorating eye conditions could be lost in a fragmented and inconsistent care system. Despite some progress in reducing patient backlogs in ophthalmology since the Covid-19 lockdowns, there is evidence to suggest that many patients could be losing their vision due to failures to diagnose and delays in receiving follow-up care after initial referral.

Image: Fight for Sight CEO Keith Valentine signs the pledge wall, alongside his excited guide dog Dottie