RNIB, the UK's leading sight loss charity, is marking World Sight Day on 8th October 2009 by asking the public:
What would you lose if you lost your sight?
Research shows that nine out of 10 people fear losing their sight above any other sense, yet the realities of sight loss are often misunderstood.
When you lose your sight, you lose more than your ability to see. RNIB asked almost 1000 sighted people to consider what they thought they would miss most if they lost their sight*.
Results show that:
1 in 3 people would miss their independence the most (33%)
1 in 6 people would miss seeing friends and family (15%)
1 in 7 would miss watching their children grow up (14%)
1 in 8 would miss reading (12%)
1 in 10 would miss driving (10%)
Each day in the UK, almost 100 people will begin to lose their sight.
Right now RNIB can only reach one in three of the people who need its help most.
Shockingly, only 8 per cent of people will be offered any kind of support upon being diagnosed with sight loss.
By increasing awareness of the realities of sight loss, RNIB has launched the new Lost and Found campaign, which aims to raise vital funds to be able to help all blind and partially sighted people find their lives again, providing all the services and support they need to live independently.
A wealth of high profile ambassadors have pledged their support for the campaign, including:
Twiggy, Bear Grylls, Raymond Blanc, Prunella Scales, Samantha Bond, Tessa Sanderson, Dylan Jones, Nick Ross, Nick Faldo, Barbara Dickson, Kim Wilde and Adam Hart-Davis.
"When I consider the question 'what would I lose if I lost my sight', the answer is everything we take for granted, the things we see around us every day. The thought of no longer seeing the faces of my children, or my husband, is truly heartbreaking. It also makes me realise how lucky I am to have the greatest gift - sight." - Twiggy
"As someone with a great love of art and architecture, being able to appreciate it is very important to me, and yet if I were to lose my sight that would no longer be possible. With theatre there are words, with opera there are sounds, but there's nothing that can replace looking at a painting." - Samantha Bond
"I can scarcely imagine the misery of losing all perception of colour - of not being able to see the scarlet changing to orange of a beautiful, ripe tomato; the gold skin of an apricot, or the gold flushed with red of a peach; the bright emerald of a skinned broad bean, the soft green of freshly podded pea, or the darker hue of a french bean." - Raymond Blanc, OBE
Best-selling author of the Adrian Mole series, Sue Townsend, was registered blind in 2001. She says:
"Nothing, nothing, nothing will ever prepare you for not being able to see. It's as simple as that. But I'm not going to pretend it's not a huge loss, in fact, it's a calamity. I refuse to pretend that it's not a calamity.
"I know that I am not alone in my experiences. There are many more blind and partially sighted people living in the UK, all with their own story to tell. There is no magic cure for blindness, but there are things that can be done to make life easier for blind and partially sighted people. RNIB aims to do just that and this is why I am fully lending my support to this campaign."
RNIB Group Director Inclusive Society, Fazilet Hadi says:
"We are proud of the fantastic support RNIB is able to provide for blind and partially sighted people, but the simple fact is that while we are only able to reach one in three people who need our help, there is much, much more still to be done.
"We hope that Lost and Found will significantly raise awareness of the realities of day to day life for those living with sight loss, and implore the UK public to show their support for this campaign."
RNIB is the UK's leading charity offering information, support and advice to around 1.8 million people living with sight loss. For more information visit www.rnib.org.uk/lost
-ends-
For further media information please contact RNIB Media Relations Office on 020 7391 2223 (out of hours mobile: 07968 482812).
Notes to Editors:
*Results are based on 969 online interviews with UK consumers aged 18+ in September 2009.
Research was conducted by independent research company 'Core Insight'.
People who said that they have 'sight problems that can't be corrected by glasses/contact lenses' were not asked the question.
About RNIB
• Every day almost another 100 people in the UK will start to lose their sight. There are around 1.8 million people in the UK with sight problems. RNIB is the leading charity working in the UK offering practical support, advice and information for anyone with sight difficulties. If you, or someone you know, has a sight problem RNIB can help. Call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit www.rnib.org.uk.
• RNIB supports the UK Vision Strategy, a ground-breaking UK-wide initiative which seeks a major transformation in the UK's eye health, eye care and sight loss services. The strategy was launched in April 2008 in response to a World Health Assembly global resolution to reduce avoidable blindness by the year 2020 and to improve support and services for blind and partially sighted people. To find out more visit: www.vision2020uk.org.uk/ukvisionstrategy.