Ibraheem Iqbal hasn’t let a diagnosis of vision loss hold him back
“I’ve always been determined. I don’t know any other way”
That mindset has shaped everything Ibraheem Iqbal, 27, from Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, has achieved. Diagnosed with sight loss as a child, Ibraheem refused to let lowered expectations define his future.
Today, he is an entrepreneur focused not only on building his own success but on inspiring other young people with vision impairment to do the same.
"It was a lot to deal with in those early teenage years, and that went on for about two years, just going back and forth and to the hospital."
A difficult diagnosis of vision loss
“I was born fully sighted, and then when I was around the age of 10 or 11 in secondary school, I started to notice that my sight was deteriorating,” Ibraheem explains, “which led to a diagnosis of keratoconus.”
Keratoconus is a condition that affects the cornea (the clear dome-shaped front surface of the eye), whereby it becomes progressively thinner and weaker over time. This eventually results in a cone-shaped protrusion on the front of the eye, which blurs and distorts sight.
Ibraheem was referred for cross-linking surgery, a procedure where riboflavin (vitamin B2) eye drops are used alongside ultraviolet light to help stabilise the cornea.
After further referrals to Great Ormond Street Hospital and then Moorfields Eye Hospital, Ibraheem received a second diagnosis: Cone Rod Dystrophy, a form of retinal dystrophy– a condition causing breakdown of the light-sensitive cells in the back of the eye.
“It was a lot to deal with in those early teenage years, and that went on for about two years, just going back and forth and to the hospital,” said Ibraheem.
Learning from experience: conquering educational challenges
Despite years of medical appointments and uncertainty, Ibraheem remained determined to continue his education.
After completing his GCSEs, he went on to college to study his A-Levels.
“Education is so important, and I wanted to have a career. That pushed me. I wanted to do my A Levels but was told that I couldn’t because I had missed too much of my education.”
Instead of accepting that answer, Ibraheem used skills he had developed in cookery and began selling burgers to raise money to pay for private tuition from an Oxford University tutor. Six months later, he completed his A-Levels, gaining an A* and two Bs.
Cornelius McGrath received a vision loss diagnosis while studying for his A Levels.
Read more about him.
That same determination carried him to the University of Liverpool, where he studied psychology.
“I was the second blind person that they had doing the degree. I realised that it wasn’t just about the support that these places can put in place, but how well you, as an individual, are able to communicate what support you require, and I think that’s a very important skill to have,” said Ibraheem.
Throughout the course, that self-advocacy and resilience were put to the test, particularly when navigating the statistical elements of the degree. Step by step, Ibraheem worked out what he needed, how to ask for it, and how to succeed on his own terms. He graduated with a first-class honours degree.
Getting down to business: entrepreneurial spirit
For Ibraheem, education was never the end goal. It was an opportunity. Armed with lived experience, academic insight, and an unshakeable belief in his ability to achieve whatever he sets his mind to, he is now channelling his energy into entrepreneurship – and into motivating other young people with vision impairment to ignore the limits often placed on them.
In his second year at college, he started his own business. “What drove me was the thought of being rejected by an employer. I was afraid that they would discriminate against me.”
That business, which specialises in supporting amputees, now operates internationally, serving clients in the UAE and Turkey.
Ibraheem has also been involved with various vision loss charities, including LOOK UK and Victa.
Previously, he completed a charity Skydive with friends and raised £5,000.
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Inspiring other young people living with vision loss
So, what’s next for the young entrepreneur?
Ibraheem’s goal is to mentor other people living with vision loss, whether that’s using social media as a platform, speaker engagements or meeting people face-to-face. He speaks about being contacted by the mother of a young boy who was losing his sight with whom he maintains contact.
“She has a boy who is losing his sight and was asking as to what he is going to do – will he have a future? Will he have an education or get married?”
Ibraheem added: “All the things a mother would be concerned about. And I could feel that because I lost my eyesight as a teenager, and I knew nothing about it before. That was a big moment for me because it made me realise the importance of being open about it and, by doing that, how many people you're able to help.”
