Fight for Sight is supporting National Eye Health Week

Fight for Sight is supporting National Eye Health Week, 18 – 24 September 2017.

Fight for Sight, the UK’s leading eye research charity, is supporting National Eye Health Week, by highlighting advances in the early detection and treatment of many eye health conditions. Fight for Sight is also calling for everyone to play a part in looking after their sight and wider health by going for regular eye tests.

Fight for Sight’s Chief Executive, Michele Acton, said: “We are delighted to be supporting National Eye Health Week. It’s a good time to remind people that an eye test can spot many eye conditions that can be treated effectively if caught early. What many people don’t realise is that these tests can also pick up other illnesses not related to sight. Regular eye tests are a vital part of your health care.”

The charity funds pioneering eye research into conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, inherited eye disease and a number of rare eye conditions. Work that has been funded by Fight for Sight includes:
• the identification of new genes responsible for glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, keratoconus and other corneal disorders, and Nance-Horan syndrome
• research leading to the world’s first clinical trial for Choroideremia, a rare inherited cause of severe sight loss in men
• the design of a new test that can spot the first stages of sight-loss in age-related macular degeneration and lead to an earlier diagnosis

Michele Acton added: “The combination of regular eye tests, people looking after their health and Fight for Sight funding pioneering research into the prevention and treatment of sight loss means that we can one day stop sight loss in its tracks.”

For further information about National Eye Health Week, running from 18 – 14 September, visit: www.visionmatters.org.uk. For further information about the research Fight for Sight is currently funding, visit: www.fightforsight.org.uk/our-research

- ENDS -

Contacts:

Elaine Cooper, Interim Head of Press and PR, Fight for Sight
Direct line: 020 7264 3910 | E-mail: elaine@fightforsight.org.uk

Notes to editors:

Fight for Sight has researchers available to give comment on some of the individual National Eye Health Week themes (you and your eye health; glaucoma; children’s eye health; sight after 60). Please contact the Fight for Sight press office, as above, for further details.

Fight for Sight is the leading UK charity dedicated to funding pioneering research to prevent sight loss and treat eye disease.

Fight for Sight is funding research at leading universities and hospitals throughout the UK. Major achievements to date include:
• saving the sight of thousands of premature babies through understanding and controlling levels of oxygen delivery
• restoring sight by establishing the UK Corneal Transplant Service enabling over 52,000 corneal transplants to take place
• bringing hope to children with inherited eye disease by helping to fund the team responsible for the world’s first gene therapy clinical trial

Fight for Sight’s current research programme is focusing on preventing and treating age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataract. We are also funding research into the causes of childhood blindness and a large number of rare eye diseases.