News
99-year-old Navy Veteran to attend VE Day 80 Concert in London thanks to Sight Scotland Veterans
As the nation prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, one remarkable veteran is getting ready for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to London to honour the day he helped secure. Hector McDonald, a 99-year-old Royal Navy veteran from Livingston,...
Shocking experiences of blind patients lead to improved cervical screening standards
Blind women in Scotland have reported distressing experiences when attending cervical screening appointments, with some describing procedures as “rough” and “painful,” and feeling uninformed and unsupported throughout. There are over 180,000 people with sight loss in Scotland, of whom 60%...
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...
New research shows the unhealthy state of access to medicine and medical devices for blind patients
Blind and partially sighted people could become ill from medicines and medical devices, because they are not being listened to when it comes to designing, prescribing and administering treatments. The Safety Gap’ report commissioned by the Patient Safety Commissioner, Prof...
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...
Revealed: The growing crisis of workplace-related eye injuries
Nearly half of UK workers believe their job puts their eye health at risk, yet are businesses overlooking this critical issue? New survey findings commissioned by NuVision Biotherapies highlight a rising yet often ignored concern in workplace health; eye injuries...
