News
New genomic test saves Moorfields patient’s sight
Moorfields patient Ellie Irwin’s stubborn and debilitating eye inflammation was successfully treated as a result of a new metagenomic service identifying the cause of this as a rare infection. In 2019, Ellie first got symptoms of uveitis, a condition characterised...
Blind astrophysicist inspires next generation
Eilidh Morrison (23), a physics graduate from Aberdeen and Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP) was starstruck last month when she met her long-time inspiration, blind astrophysicist Dr Wanda Díaz-Merced. Born with Joubert Syndrome, a rare condition that includes...
Dolby’s Sound of a Masterpiece: Hear what Da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Monet's Water-Lily Pond sound like
Dolby Laboratories and Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) have reimagined the world’s most famous artwork masterpieces - from Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to David Hockney’s A Bigger Splash - to create an immersive soundtrack, in state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos...
Greater awareness of children’s vision care is urged by the profession
Greater attention needs to be given to children’s vision, believes the profession, as a recent survey by Mumsnet reveals that visits to the optometrist are lower down the agenda than dental visits. It found that 9% of parents saw no...
BOOK RELEASE: 'Following Sam: Jon and Sam's Journey Conquering the 42' by Jon Attenborough
Jon Attenborough, a visually impaired football fan, embarks on an extraordinary journey with his guide dog, Sam, across Scotland, visiting every single one of the 42 Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) grounds. What began as a personal challenge soon turned...
Blind West Lothian man supports others through sport
For Neil Atkinson, sport has always been a significant part of his life. Now, as a Community Connection Coordinator for RNIB Scotland, he uses his experiences to help improve accessibility and awareness for blind and partially sighted individuals across the...
Matt Stringer, RNIB’s Chief Executive Officer commented on the fifth anniversary of start of the Covid-19 pandemic (1)
“The UK was woefully ill-prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic, and indeed any type of pandemic, with regards to the rights and needs of blind and partially sighted people. This anniversary still demonstrates that critical lessons need to be learned to...
Major survey calls for new ideas on how to reinvent post diagnostic support for blind and partially sighted people
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is launching a new research study to better understand post-diagnostic support across the sight loss sector. People who have experienced being diagnosed with a sight condition know it’s not always easy to...
Braille at 200: The code that changed everyday life
Frenchman Louis Braille was in his teens in the mid-1820s when he began developing the six-dot tactile code that enables millions of blind and partially sighted people around the world to access the power of literacy. Two centuries on from...
Royal Navy Veteran returns to cenotaph 50 years after first parade with Sight Scotland Veterans
John Finlay, 66, from Dalkeith, served as a Radio Operator in the Royal Navy from 1974 to 1979, stationed at the HMS Cochrane naval base in Rosyth. Now living with sight loss due to diabetes, John is marking an emotional...
Celebrating 225 years of seeing ability in parliament
This October, the House of Lords provided the venue for charity SeeAbility’s celebration of its 225th-year anniversary, with people it supports, colleagues, volunteers, funders and partners. They were joined by parliamentarians, including the Rt Hon Lord David Blunkett, who sponsored...
Glasgow-based eye surgeon, Dr Tim Lavy, speaks into new vision and new life for Mamadou
The moment a seven-year-old boy sees clearly for the first time has been captured in a video by the charity that gave him free surgery. Surgeons from international charity Mercy Ships believe Mamadou, who lives in Sierra Leone, would have...
