Fight for Sight will publish a landmark report next month highlighting the social and economic impact of sight loss in the UK.
The charity will also unveil a costing tool to demonstrate the current and future costs of sight loss, and how investment in eye research could benefit both individuals affected by sight loss and wider society.
Fight for Sight is inviting people with sight loss, funding bodies, stakeholders and other players in the field of ophthalmology and public health services, to an interactive webinar to launch its report – Time to Focus – on Wednesday 16 September 2020, from 3.30pm to 5pm BST.
At the beginning of 2020, Fight for Sight carried out one of the largest surveys of people with sight loss and blindness to understand the personal impact of sight loss. The Time to Focus report will reveal the findings of that research. It will also include health economic and bibliometric data from peer-reviewed research conducted by academics at the London School of Economics (LSE) and other partners.
Today in the UK, the charity warned, there are two and a half million people living with sight loss, more than half of which is avoidable; a number set to grow exponentially by 2050. Meanwhile, the charity goes on, ophthalmology has the highest number of outpatients of any medical specialty and even prior to Covid-19 was already under pressure with an existing backlog of patients. In spite of this, says Fight for Sight, currently only 1.5 per cent of national research funding is invested in eye research.
The report launch will see keynote speaker Professor Sir Peng Tee Khaw, professor and consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and director of the UK NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in Ophthalmology, and other leading scientists, partners and supporters come together to discuss the report findings.
Chief executive at Fight for Sight, Sherine Krause, said: “Our report will demonstrate the impact of sight loss and how potential investment in research now could transform people’s wellbeing and reduce the huge economic and social costs.
“These issues are more important than ever in a post Brexit and Covid-19 landscape. We’re encouraging members of the government, health services, industry, charities, researchers and those impacted by sight loss to join us for the launch of our report on 16 September.”
To take part in the interactive webinar to launch the report, click here – or visit www.fightforsight.org.uk