Take our survey on the impact of continued lockdown restrictions on people with eye conditions

Fight for Sight has launched a survey to gather broader insights into how continued lockdown restrictions are affecting people with sight loss and eye conditions. 

This survey is a follow-up to the charity’s research in May, which found that the pandemic is having a disproportionate effect on people with eye conditions, with 73% of respondents saying their access to treatment had got worse since the beginning of the pandemic. Four in ten people said they feared their eyesight had or would further deteriorate as a result.  

Fight for Sight is inviting those affected by sight loss or an eye condition to participate in the survey, to help it to continue to campaign on behalf of people with sight loss and strengthen the case for urgently needed eye research funding.

To take part in the survey, you must be aged 18 or over, living in the UK, and personally have an eye condition(s).

There are currently over two million people in the UK living with sight loss, more than half of which is avoidable. According to Fight for Sight’s Time to Focus report, which was released in September, this number will jump to 3.5 million by 2050. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, eye research was already woefully underfunded, with only one and a half percent of national research funding invested in eye research. That’s in spite of the fact that eye conditions account for ten percent of all hospital outpatient appointments – the largest of any specialty.

Director of Engagement at Fight for Sight, Sarah Campion said: “This is a challenging time for everyone, but we know from our research that the current pandemic and lockdown is having a particularly harsh effect on those living with eye conditions and sight loss. We need the input of those affected so that we can understand how lockdown restrictions are continuing to impact them as we head into 2021 and determine how best to campaign on their behalf.”

The findings of this survey will also help Fight for Sight to make decisions on the future of the charity’s research priorities.