January 2026

Glaucoma Awareness Month

January is glaucoma awareness month. Known as the 'silent thief of sight', glaucoma is a group of conditions in which pressure builds up in the eye. In healthy eyes, the eye continuously produces watery fluid, which drains through tiny channels, but in glaucoma, something is blocking the fluid from draining.

• Discover more about glaucoma in our A to Z of eye conditions
• Read Artist Paula Long's story of living with glaucoma
• How we've driven a deeper understanding our glaucoma

Watch Paula Long's story on living with glaucoma

January 4 2026: World Braille Day

Observed annually on January 4, World Braille Day raises awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication.

Related information about Braille from Fight for Sight

• Find out more about Braille
• FAQs about Braille
• Discover how our funding has helped to improve access to Braille and encourage Braille Literacy. 

Donate Now

January 21 2026: FREE webinar, building mentorship opportunities in vision research

Good mentorship is essential for building the next generation of vision researchers.

In this webinar we'll be hosting Professor Marcela Votruba from Cardiff University and Dr Monika Winter from Northumbria University, to discuss their perspectives on the importance of mentorship across different research career stages.

Sign up for the FREE webinar

February 2026

February 28: Rare Disease Awareness Day

Fight for Sight is disease-agnostic. That means we fund research into all types of vision loss, regardless of prevalence. We do this because all eye diseases significantly affect those impacted.

Our approach to funding scientific research is to support research across the patient pathway, as set out in our research strategy. We award grants based on merit, and an expert panel reviews and rates the applications we receive (meet our RGAP).

For more information on rare diseases:

• Five rare eye conditions you may not have heard of
• Funding the UK-wide research tool that could transform the care of rare eye conditions
• Watch our webinar on decoding the genetics of inherited eye conditions

Low vision awareness month

In the UK, February is recognised as AMD (Age-Related Macular Degeneration) & Low Vision Awareness Month, a key time to highlight sight loss causes like AMD and promote early detection through regular eye exams.

• Discover more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration
• Work we funded is helping reveal the biology of age-related macular degeneration

Projects we're currently funding relating to age related macular degeneration:

• Small Grant Award, Liverpool John Moores University (Treatment)

• TIGER, surgical trial, London
• Read more about Tim Jackson's work in our research blog. 
• More about the Professor behind the TIGER trial into age related macular degeneration. 
• Read more about the TIGER trial in our Theory of Change. 

Did you know? 

In 2025, we awarded a project grant of £250,000 to Professor Mei Chen at Queen's University Belfast who is working on better understanding a type of AMD called ‘wet’ AMD.

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March 8-14 2026: Glaucoma Awareness Week

The theme for 2026 is 'Uniting for a Glaucoma-Free World. At Fight for Sight, our vision is to Save Sight. Change Lives. 

• Discover how PhD student Colin Willoughby is 'Relaxin' the pressure in glaucoma. 

March 23 2026: World Optometry Day

The day is to celebrate the optometry profession and its role in providing eye exams, diagnosing and managing eye diseases, and promoting eye health. 

• Read our eye health mythbuster
• Fight for Sight is proud to be a member of The Eyes Have It, funded by Roche. Our other partners include the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RcOphth), Association of Optometrists (AOP), Macular Society and RNIB.

         Together, we're calling on the government to tackle the eye health care crisis.  

April 2026

21 April 2026: FREE webinar, future therapies for glaucoma

For this webinar we will be joined by Professor Ted Garway-Heath from UCL, and Associate Professor Gerassimos Lascaratos, who Fight for Sight has funded for their work on glaucoma.

Sign up for the FREE webinar

26 April: London Marathon, raising money to Save Sight. Change Lives

This year Team Fight for Sight will once again take to the streets and run the iconic London Marathon raising vital funds for Fight for Sight. Over the coming months, we'll introduce you to the cast of 2026! Last year's team raised over £60,000 to Save Sight. Change Lives. 

• Running partners for life: meet the husband and wife team who ran for Fight for Sight. 
• Marathon friendships: the people taking on the marathon for friends. 
• I can't believe I'm doing this: why Will from our shops took on the London Marathon. 

22-28 April: Deafblind Awareness Week

The day aims to increase understanding and support for individuals with combined sight and hearing loss.

• Read Debbie White's story of living with dual sensory loss
• Discover how our funding has helped Usher Kids UK
• Listen to our CEO, Keith Valentine in conversation with Cure Usher

May 19-25: Dementia Action Week

Dementia Action Week aims to continue raising awareness of the importance of early diagnosis for people affected by dementia.

The field of Oculomics describes using the eye as a window to the rest of the body for earlier diagnosis and prevention of wider health issues. 

• Discover more about AlzEye, Pearse Keane's research, which could lead to earlier diagnosis of dementia. 

Retinal scans for dementia diagnosis

• Professors Pearse Keane and Alastair Denniston have collaborated on over 90 papers, including in the field of Oculomics. Discover mroe about their work and the importance of collaboration in research. 

Watch the webinar

• Discover more about the programme we're helping to fund gathering retinal scans to discover more about our wider health. 

Read more

May 21 2026: Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)

The purpose of GAAD is "to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than One Billion people with disabilities/impairments."

At Fight for Sight, we're passionate about the role of digital inclusion in creating the same opportunities for everyone, regardless of vision loss.

That's why in 2025, we launched our digital inclusion fund, offering funding for organisations that directly support blind and vision-impaired people or people at risk of losing their sight. 

We aim to fund projects that deliver a step-change in people’s ability to know what’s out there, how to access and use it and how to take control of their own digital development. This is likely to lead to improved employment outcomes and more robust pathways into work and beyond.

Discover more

• Read Cornelius McGrath's story of using assistive technology as an intern for Fight for Sight.
• Read Darren's story of a lifetime interaction with digital technology. 

June 2026 vision loss awareness days

Cataract Awareness Month

Many people need to realise the impact cataracts can have on vision and daily life. Cataract Awareness Month seeks to change that by providing essential information on symptoms and treatment.

Left untreated, cataracts can lead to blindness, making early detection critical. 

• Discover more about cataracts in our A to Z of eye conditions.
• Five facts about cataracts
• Meet Willow, who has congenital cataracts, and the family raising money to support our work.

June 8-14, 2026: Loneliness Awareness Week

Hosted by Marmalade Trust, this year Loneliness Awareness Week has its 10th anniversary. The focus is on creating open conversations, reducing stigma, and fostering connections through community events and activities across the UK and globally.

Research we funded discovered that people who are blind and vision impaired are three times more likely than the general population to experience loneliness. 

• Read more in our report Outside. 
• Read how MyVision Oxfordshire's walking groups helped tackle loneliness and isolation, with our funding. 
• Watch our webinar on building connections through green walks

June 9-15: Diabetes Awareness Week

Raising awareness about diabetes is crucial because early detection and proper management can vastly improve quality of life and prevent serious complications.

Diabetic retinopathy is a serious, sight-threatening complication of diabetes, and the most common cause of vision loss for people living with diabetes. 

Anyone with any diabetes (type 1 or type 2) can develop diabetic retinopathy, and their risk will increase the longer they have diabetes. If left undiagnosed and untreated, the condition can lead to blindness.

However, it usually takes several years to reach a stage where it could threaten a person’s sight.

• Read more about diabetic retinopathy in our A to Z
• Read about research we're funding into diabetic retinopathy
• Discover five FAQs about diabetes and vision loss. 

June 27: Helen Keller Day

On this day, we celebrate the birth of Helen Keller, an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.

July 2026 Awareness Days

July 2026: Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month takes place every July in the UK since 2015 and celebrates people with disabilities, their identities, culture and their contributions to society.

Fight for Sight is a proud supporter of Disability Pride Month. 

September 2026

September 14-20, 2026: National Inclusion Week

Fight for Sight aims to create a world where everyone has the best possible eye health and the same opportunities regardless of vision loss. 

Theory of change

• Read our report, See My Skills
• Our annual Vis-Ability event showcases people with lived experience and promotes allyship

October 2026

October 8, 2026: World Sight Day

October 8 is World Sight Day. Fight for Sight exists to Save Sight. Change Lives. 

• Discover how we'll get there in our theory of change
• Discover more about Our Impact
•  Read our A to Z of eye conditions

November 2026 Awareness Days related to vision loss

November 14, 2026: World Diabetes Day

People with diabetes are at risk of vision loss from diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is a serious, sight-threatening complication of diabetes, and the most common cause of vision loss for people living with diabetes.

• Please find out more about the condition in our A to Z pages. 
• We're currently funding a grant to test the effectiveness of repurposed medications for the treatment of mitochondrial dysfunction in diabetic eye disease. 
• Discover more about how we have worked in partnership with Diabetes UK.

December 2026 Awareness Days related to vision loss

December 3, 2026

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is a UN day celebrated every year on 3 December.

The day is about promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society and development, and raising awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities across all aspects of political, social, economic, and cultural life. 

Fight for Sight believes in a world where everyone has the same opportunities, regardless of vision loss. 

• We're funding programmes that aim to reduce the postcode lottery of services across the UK. Discover more about our social change programmes. 
• Our annual Vis-Ability event aims to raise the profile of people who are blind or vision-impaired. We bring together people with lived experience, industry and political influencers.