Fight for Sight is a UK charity funding research into the prevention and treatment of blindness and

eye disease This is a partial list of human eye diseases and disorders. The World Health Organization publishes a classification of known diseases and injuries, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, or ICD-10. ...

. Since 1965 the charity has been funding medical research into a wide range of eye conditions, including

macular degeneration Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no symptoms. Over time, however, som ...

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...

cataract A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble ...

corneal eye disease The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical powe ...

trachoma Trachoma is an infectious disease caused by bacterium '' Chlamydia trachomatis''. The infection causes a roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. This roughening can lead to pain in the eyes, breakdown of the outer surface or cornea of ...

diabetic retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy (also known as diabetic eye disease), is a medical condition in which damage occurs to the retina due to diabetes mellitus. It is a leading cause of blindness in developed countries. Diabetic retinopathy affects up to 80 perc ...

as well as a wide range of inherited eye diseases and the causes of childhood blindness. The charity funds researchers based at universities and hospitals throughout the UK and those undertaking research in the UK and overseas. Fight for Sight in the UK is unaffiliated with the organization also named Fight for Sight (U.S.) in the United States.

History

Fight for Sight was founded in 1965 by Professor Norman Ashton CBE, Director of Pathology at the

UCL Institute of Ophthalmology The UCL Institute of Ophthalmology is an institute within the Faculty of Brain Sciences of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, United Kingdom. The institute conducts research and post-graduate teaching in the area of ophthal ...

. In the same year, the Prevention of Blindness Research Fund (which later became the British Eye Research Foundation) was established with funds raised by the Royal Eye Hospital League of Friends. Fight for Sight as it exists today evolved through a merger of Fight for Sight and the British Eye Research Foundation in 2005. This merger created the largest national charity dedicated to funding eye research in the UK.

Organisation

The charity's headquarters are in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

Governance

Fight for Sight is governed by a board of

Trustees Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

who meet at least four times a year to agree the strategy and areas of activity for the charity. There are 12 Trustees on the board.

References

External links

Fight for Sight website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fight For Sight Blindness organisations in the United Kingdom Health charities in the United Kingdom