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
