Vision Foundation

We're still funding brilliant minds and bright ideas which is why Social Change funding is open for applications! This round is focused on children and young people who are blind and vision impaired, with a focus on projects that build social, digital and self-advoacy skills in children and young people.

Up to £30,000 is available, so what are you waiting for?

Head to our brand new website to find out more
🔗 fightforsight.org.uk/apply-for-funding/social-change-funding/social-change-fund/

And to make sure you are still kept in the loop follow us on
Facebook: fight for sight
Instagram: fight for sight
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Linkedin: fight for sight

The Social Change Fund from Fight for Sight Funding for social projects with the potential to transform the lives of blind and vision impaired people.

With the merge between Vision Foundation and Fight for Sight officially complete, head over to our new channels to keep up to date on news about social impact funding, your stories, research news and more!

Facebook: Fight for Sight
Instagram:
Linkedin: For Sight
X/Twitter:

We are thrilled to announce to the launch of our new brand.

In 2023, Fight for Sight and Vision Foundation merged. With our new brand we will continue to fund the brilliant minds and bright ideas, that are putting change in sight for everyone impacted by vision loss.

➡️ Brilliant minds: Our investments fund researchers at the forefront of tackling sight loss, making breakthroughs and discoveries that will prevent, treat, and cure eye disease.

➡️ Bright ideas: The partnerships we build and initiatives we support are changing life for blind and vision impaired people, who are three times more likely to experience loneliness and isolation than the general population.

Visit our new website to discover how we're putting change in sight for everyone impacted by vision loss.

🔗 fightforsight.org.uk

People who are blind and vison impaired are more likely to experience loneliness and isolation than the general population. In general 37% of 16-25 year olds feel lonely some or most of the time. With these statistics in mind we started funding LOOK - supporting families living with visual impairment mentoring programmes who deliver visits to Jamie's Farm, to support young people who are blind and vision impaired to create community. Read more about LookUK here 🔗 https://visionfoundation.org.uk/news-category/farm-life/

A leading broadcaster is conducting a survey to understand the experiences of UK based visually impaired and blind individuals who use Video on Demand (VoD) services such as Netflix, ITVX and BBC iPlayer. It will take approx. 10-15 minutes and will cover ease of navigation, using features such as audio descriptions and transcripts, compatability with assistive tech and overall experience.

To participate, please click on the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/6sbEkqqb9n

Complete the survey for a chance to win a £250 Amazon voucher!

✨FREE✨ registration for Swim Serpentine for a limited time only!

Warm weather got you feeling like an open water dip? Join us for Swim Serpentine!

With heated changing rooms, dunk zone, pontoon start and finish, full water safety crew, hot tubs and an exhibition area, everything you could need is available.

Find out more here 🔗 https://ow.ly/CUJY50SRpmC

Did you know that Team USA gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik has two eye conditions? Occular colomboma and strabismus.

Strabismus is when eyes don't align with each other when looking at an object and coloboma is when there is a gap at the base of the eye which can cause blindness.

We have a whole page dedicated to coloboma on our A-Z of eye conditions section 🔗 https://www.fightforsight.org.uk/about-the-eye/a-z-eye-conditions/coloboma/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clly5d02d3ro

Who is Stephen Nedoroscik, the pommel horse guy? The US gymnast and Rubik's cube enthusiast became an online sensation after helping his team secure a bronze medal.

Did you know that August is National Children's Eye Health and Safety month?

Children can find out more about their eyes and tips for looking after them here! 🔗https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/nei-for-kids

Want to know more about how to create an accessible workplace? This blog gives an insight into accessible technology and how it's used, as well as providing information on the Access to Work scheme and more! https://www.visionfoundation.org.uk/news-category/an-insight-into-accessible-technology/

This summer holidays make sure you and your family are thinking Eye Smart 😎

Sight is the sense people fear losing the most but not everyone knows how to look after their eyes, so here are our top tips for healthy eyes this summer!

https://visionfoundation.org.uk/news-category/think-eye-smart/

The Small Grants funding round has officially closed for this year. This award focuses on the collection of preliminary and primary data, in other words, the early-stage research! Read why this stage of research is so important in researchers own words here ➡️ https://www.fightforsight.org.uk/news-and-articles/articles/science-blog/research-appreciation-day-why-early-stage-eye-research-is-so-important/

Take on the thrill of a lifetime with a charity skydive! Join a group of Fight for Sight / Vision Foundation thrill seeking supporters to raise money for Fight for Sight / Vision Foundation this September. When you sign up you will get £50 deposit, a fundraising pack, and support from the fundraising team!

Find out more and register here: https://www.visionfoundation.org.uk/support-us/fundraise/challenge-yourself/skydiving/

The National Police Chiefs' Council launched a report today that revealed that violence against women and girls increased by 37% from 2018 to 2023.

In October 2022, we released the groundbreaking "Unseen" report, the first to investigate the alarming prevalence of domestic violence among blind and partially sighted individuals. Conducted by the charity SafeLives the report found that an estimated 1 in 12 visually impaired people in the UK—amounting to 188,000 victims—have experienced domestic abuse. This figure is likely to have changed since the report's release.

Visit our website to explore the full findings, review our recommendations, and donate to help ensure that no one is left unseen.

🔗https://ow.ly/2k9I50SIfQV

The first ever blind Barbie doll has been released! Created in partnership with American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and RNIB the new Barbie doll features a cane, dark glasses, braille on the box and textured clothing. This new doll is part of Mattels mission to create representation across their range.

Lucy Edwards, broadcaster and disability activist had this to say "I was embarrassed by my cane – but knowing Barbie had a cane would have made me feel so differently about mine and helped me feel less alone on my journey to accept and embrace my blindness."

🔗https://ow.ly/fR1I50SHWwq

First ever 'Blind Barbie' doll released by toy-maker Mattel Mattel has released its first ever blind Barbie doll

The small grants deadline is approaching! Are you an early researcher who would like to lead on a project or have a study in mind? Get that application in ASAP!

⚠️ Applications close on Wednesday 24.07.2024

https://ow.ly/lBFu50SHr9w

A new blood test may predict vision loss in glaucoma patients - exciting news for those living with glaucoma! Read the article from NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre below:

moorfieldsbrc.nihr.ac.uk

Experience the unique surroundings of Leighton House and Sambourne House after hours, through the lens of fashion and sustainability.

Visit the exhibition “Out Shopping: The Dresses of Marion and Maud Sambourne (1880-1910)”, upcycle at drop-in workshops with Lydia Bolton, thrift a new outfit with guest charity shops (including us!), and enjoy the sonic sounds of DJ Mariam Morshed while savouring a tipple in the gorgeous garden!

📅19th July 2024
🕰️18:30-21:00

Book your tickets: https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/museums/out-shopping-after-hours

The small grants deadline is approaching! Applications close on 24.07.2024 and Steven Smith, Grants Manager advises that senior researchers "ask whether they could put forward an early career researcher from their lab to lead on the project, to try and encourage that next generation."

So, do you know an early researcher who would like to lead on a project and have a study in mind? Get that application in ASAP ➡️https://ow.ly/vcg950SBhWQ

Fashion to photography, customer service to cheerleader there are a multitude of ways you can volunteer your time to help us save sight, change lives and boost your skills for your CV!

Head to our website to find out how you can volunteer your time and skills at visionfoundation.org.uk

Its Social Media Giving day! We're asking our supporters to help us fund life changing work that will help Save Sight and Change Lives. Just £20 could buy essential lab equipment such as pipettes and lab culture dishes!

Head to our website to find out other ways to donate fightforsight.org.uk / visionfoundation.org.uk

A diagnosis of sight loss can mean people lose a sense of self. When conducting research for the Outside Report, interviewees suggested that they had internalised discriminatory views about blindness and vision impairment, which in turn heightened feelings of loneliness and isolation. To help combat these feelings we fund projects that help blind and vision impaired people feel less alone, such as Camden Disability Action, Sutton Vision and more.

Read the report here 🔗 https://visionfoundation.org.uk/our-impact/research-and-campaigns/outside-report/

Discover projects we fund here 🔗 https://visionfoundation.org.uk/our-projects/funding-loneliness-and-isolation/

This indie retailer month shop charity! We have shops all over London, so come in, meet our volunteers and discover pre-loved and vintage stock. Your purchase helps fund life-changing projects for vision impaired people.

Find our shops here 🔗 https://ow.ly/ZvoG50SxYi3

Did you know that a recent clinical trial has shown that an existing cholesterol-lowering drug can slow the progress of diabetic retinopathy? Diabetic retinopathy is a serious, sight-threatening complication of diabetes, which is why we’re excited to see progression like this.

We are funding other early-stage research projects in partnership with Diabetes UK to work together to help find treatments and preventions for eye damage in people with diabetes.

Read more here 🔗 https://ow.ly/gxof50SxSSA

Cholesterol-lowering drug slows progression of retinopathy People treated with a drug fenofibrate at the first signs of eye damage were less likely to need specialist care or treatment for diabetic retinopathy compared to people who took a placebo tablet. These results from the LENS (Lowering Events in Non-proliferative retinopathy in Scotland) trial were a...

We're so excited to announce that The Eyes Have It (funded by Roche) partnership has won the Communique Awards Excellence in Communications - Payers/Policy Makers award! A huge shoutout our partners RNIB Macular Society, Association of Optometrists and The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.

Find out more here🔗 https://ow.ly/fqGj50SwO7S

Its Research Appreciation Day! At Fight For Sight/Vision Foundation the medical research we fund is primarily early-stage. But what does that mean? Medical research can be broken down into 3 stages:

➡️ Basic aka early-stage research (this process seeks to understand key biological and chemical processes)
➡️ Translational research (where knowledge gained from early-stage research is applied to clinical practice)
➡️ Clinical research (where we see if treatments developed in translational research are safe and effective)

For Research Appreciation Day we asked some of the researchers we fund why they think early-stage research is so important, here's what they had to say.

To find out more about early stage medical research, head to our blog 🔗https://ow.ly/SKgB50SvQkW

We’re looking forward to working with the Labour Government to support a step change in life sciences, ensuring that research into understanding, diagnosing, preventing and treating eye disease is given the priority it deserves.

We were heartened to hear the Shadow front bench acknowledge the vital role of reforming eye care so that people aren’t waiting so long to get the help they need and we’ll be working with the new administration, including through the Eyes Have It Partnership funded by Roche to contribute to shortening ophthalmology waiting lists, advocating for increased funding for vital research and driving transformative change for blind and vision impaired people.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn09xn9je7lt

Experience the unique surroundings of Leighton House and Sambourne House after hours, through the lens of fashion and sustainability. Upcycle at drop-in patchwork workshops with slow fashion designer, Lydia Bolton Bolton; thrift a new outfit with guest charity shops (including us!) and soak up the sonic sounds of DJ Mariam Morshed while enjoying a tipple in the gorgeous garden.

➡️ Friday 19 July, 6:30pm-9pm
➡️ £20 (50% Student Discount with code: STUDENT50)
➡️Book your tickets: https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/museums/out-shopping-after-hours

Great news - our brand-new shop in Ealing is now open! Discover how shopping preloved can transform your wardrobe by stepping into a treasure trove of stylish men and ladieswear and clothing. If clothing isn't quite what you are looking for, head to the book and entertainment section, where you're bound to find something to pique your interest.