The image shows members of our community attending a Retina UK Information Day.
Retina UK exists to provide information and support to people living with inherited sight loss, and to fund pioneering medical research that could make their challenges a thing of the past. Thanks to our Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Appeal, broadcast in July 2020 and fronted by Amar Latif, we raised more than £35,127 to support our community today, and to give them hope for tomorrow.
Inherited retinal conditions are the leading cause of blindness in the working age population of the UK, but many people are not aware of their existence. Conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Usher syndrome, Stargardt disease and many more cause progressive and unpredictable loss of vision, which can be devastating for those affected.
By supporting Retina UK’s appeal, viewers have had a direct impact on the lives of individuals and families struggling to come to terms with a new diagnosis, or to cope with the very specific day to day challenges of sight loss. Information and support services such as Retina UK’s Helpline can be a lifeline to people like Riaz:
“When I was first told that I was losing my sight, and that there was no cure, I was knocked for six. I felt frightened, and didn’t know how to react or what to do. I was working full time then, with a young family, and I didn’t know how I would cope if my vision were to deteriorate. The Retina UK Helpline team has been there to support me. I cannot emphasise enough how helpful it is to speak to someone who has the same condition that I have, and has faced similar challenges. I can honestly say that without the help I have received I would have been totally lost.”
As well as providing direct support in this way, we are also able to provide hope of a different future through the research that we fund. Emily, who featured in the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Appeal with her family, sums this up so well:
“The future worries me. We don’t know how Jack and Oliver’s sight loss will progress, or whether our two youngest boys are also affected. This is why the hope that comes from the medical research funded by Retina UK is so important to me and my boys.”
We are so grateful to everyone who watched and supported the Appeal. You can find out more about Retina UK and the work you have helped to fund on our .