{"id":1057,"date":"2026-01-11T13:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T13:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fund.southampton.ac.uk\/innovation\/?page_id=1057"},"modified":"2026-04-27T10:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:50:10","slug":"sight-loss","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fund.southampton.ac.uk\/innovation\/sight-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Where we aim to eliminate sight loss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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WHERE
    WE AIM TO
    ELIMI<\/mark>NATE


    SIGHT LOSS<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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WHERE
    WE AIM TO
    ELIMI<\/mark>NATE


     SIGHT LOSS<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Our world is slowly going dark  \u2013 196 million people around the globe are suffering from sight loss, unable to get around safely or see their loved ones.
Support us so that we can find new ways to save sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1 IN 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A third of us will be affected by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by our mid-70s<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a3300B<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vision impairment results in an estimated \u00a3300 billion in annual lost productivity \u2013 far outweighing the investment needed to address unmet eye care needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2M<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than two million people in the UK are living with sight loss that significantly impacts daily life, a number that is projected to double to over four million by 2050 without advances in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Our world is slowly going dark  \u2013 196 million people around the globe are suffering from sight loss, unable to get around safely or see their loved ones.
Support us so that we can find new ways to save sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1 IN 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A third of us will be affected by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by our mid-70s<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a3300B<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vision impairment results in an estimated \u00a3300 billion in annual lost productivity \u2013 far outweighing the investment needed to address unmet eye care needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2 million<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than two million people in the UK are living with sight loss that significantly impacts daily life, a number that is projected to double to over four million by 2050 without advances in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Imagine if you could never see your loved ones’ faces again<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The IMI will be a focal point for ophthalmological research. It will be a place where we can better understand and treat a wide range of eye conditions afflicting both young and old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we get older, one in three of us over 75 will be affected by Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a disease which causes sight loss. Yet only one per cent of medical research investment is directed towards eye research.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some face injections into the eye, while for others there is no treatment at all. But there is hope: our researchers and engineers are developing better, cheaper, less invasive treatments for AMD and other leading causes of sight loss.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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we’re helping people to see a brighter future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Southampton is at the forefront of ophthalmological care in the UK. University Hospital Southampton assesses and treats up to 100,000 patients every year. <\/strong>Our researchers and doctors are leading the way, innovating new treatments for conditions like AMD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By adapting Hubble Telescope technology, <\/strong>we have developed powerful new methods to take more focused and detailed images of the retinal cells<\/strong> at the back of the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are the leading centre for the treatment of albinism<\/strong>, and its associated eye conditions and are running trials for a drug that targets specific genetic mutations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have developed an app to help children engage with their eye patches<\/strong> and wear them properly, reducing the impact of amblyopia (known as lazy-eye). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We identified a rare genetic mutation in patients with AMD<\/strong>, in a study based in Guernsey, which led to the development of a gene therapy<\/strong> that is now being tested all over the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The IMI will accelerate sight loss research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The IMI will accelerate sight loss research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With your help, the IMI will supercharge our research capabilities, allowing us to improve diagnosis and treatment for vision loss.<\/strong> A generous donation can help us deliver on our greatest ambition: to eventually find ways to restore lost sight. The IMI is more than just a building: it is the hope of a clearer tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The IMI will help us:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work with computer scientists in powerful computing labs to harness the power of AI <\/strong>to develop early diagnosis techniques for eye problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use state-of-the-art imaging facilities to study hundreds of thousands of retinal scans<\/strong> to better understand AMD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find less invasive ways to treat AMD. <\/strong>We will use the expertise of engineers and chemists to develop new treatments, such as regenerating dead cells or creating an in-eye reservoir for easier drug delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Related case studies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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