Eye Heroes News

Vision Foundation Grant

We have BIG news here at Eye Heroes! We were awarded a grant from the Vision Foundation, which will expand our work in London. Over the next two years, we plan to run at least 200 workshops, which should lead to 15,000 people getting sight tests. 

The Vision Foundation is one of London's leading sight loss charities, supporting the city's best projects for blind and partially sighted people. They fund and support projects, from inception through to delivery, that involve and empower blind and partially sighted people. They deliver their funding through their Vision Fund, which awards grants twice a year. 

The Vision Foundation has three funding priorities for the work they support to bring about change for London’s blind and partially sighted population. These are: 

1. Opening London up: ensuring that public spaces and transport are as accessible as possible

2. Empowering those at risk: supporting people who are most at risk from the consequences of sight loss

3. Preventing avoidable blindness: raising public awareness about the importance of eye tests. 

Preventing avoidable blindness is where Eye Heroes comes in. In London, 200,000 people are living with sight loss, and just under 700,000 (one in every 12 adults) have a sight-threatening condition. Unless there are bold interventions, these figures are set to increase significantly by 2030. However, an estimated 50% of sight loss cases could be prevented, if detected and treated in time. To ensure that the Vision Foundation’s work has the biggest possible impact, they are interested in projects that raise public awareness about the importance of regular eye tests, particularly among at-risk communities. Another aim is improving access to eye tests, including via community-based testing.

With 50% of sight loss cases being avoidable, we at Eye Heroes are delighted that the Vision Foundation has chosen to partner with us. Eye Heroes raises awareness of the importance of eye tests by equipping primary school children with the knowledge and tools to spread this message in the ‘hard-to-reach’ groups within the community, overcoming barriers associated with language and stigma. That’s why we call them Eye Heroes!

We are looking forward to seeing the growth in Eye Heroes’ reach over the next two years, thanks to the Vision Foundation, and we expect their support to result in 15,000 more people getting eye tests. We are excited to find new partners in London, and to continue our work promoting eye health.

~ Daisy West, Communications Volunteer