VISION 2020 UK hosts seminar for funders of eye research

Panel discussion at FundERS 2015.

VISION 2020 UK, the umbrella organisation which facilitates greater collaboration and co-operation between organisations across the eye health and sight loss sectors, has this week held a seminar in London specifically for funders of eye research. 

The inaugural Funders of Eye Research Summit (FundERS 2015) was created in association with Fight for Sight, the UK’s leading eye research charity.  

Setting priorities for research

 The event was established to discuss and review the impact of the Sight Loss and Vision Priority Setting Partnership (PSP)  which, working with the James Lind Alliance, was published in 2013 to set priorities for eye research as identified by patients, carers and eye health professionals.  

The summit brought together a host of experts covering the eye research funding landscape and was chaired by Richard Wormald, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, and Michèle Acton, Chief Executive at Fight for Sight.  

VISION 2020 UK CEO, Mercy Jeyasingham, commented, “We were delighted to host such a timely and necessary seminar. Two years on, we felt it was important to review the PSP’s impact on shaping a patient-centred research agenda.” 

Fight for Sight’s Research Communications Officer, Ade Deane-Pratt, hopes this will open the discussion on the future of UK funding for scientific and medical eye research to a wider audience. Ade said: “This is the first time that UK funders have come together in this way. It’s a great chance to make sure the PSP priorities continue to be addressed.”

Listening to patients' voices

Irenie Ekkeshis took part in the PSP, having lost the sight in one eye due to the rare but aggressive eye infection Acanthamoeba keratitis. She said: “It’s really important to patients to have our voices listened to by researchers and funders alike. I’m glad to be able to help ensure the research that’s done is research that matters.”