e-Newsletter January 2024
Our monthly e-Newsletter featuring the latest updates from Retina UK.
e-Newsletter - January 2024 - content
Thursday 25 January – 7.00pm – 8.00pm
With more treatments coming through the development pipeline, we are all hopeful that more of those living with inherited sight loss will be offered the opportunity to take part in clinical trials in the years to come.
But what’s it like to be a participant? What do you need to consider before you commit? And how does it feel as a parent to allow your child to take part?
Join Research Development Manager Kate Arkell as she talks to a young clinical trial participant and his mum about their experiences. They will also talk about other types of research participation opportunities, and explain how treatments get from the laboratory to the clinic.
Retina UK is delighted to announce that it has awarded three new research grants worth more than £870,000. The new projects will all explore innovative approaches to tackling inherited sight loss, forging a path towards treatment options for our community.
- Dr Jörn Lakowski and Professor Andrew Lotery at Southampton University will investigate the preservation of central vision in retinitis pigmentosa (RP)
- Professor Jacqueline van der Spuy at UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology will work with collaborators in Germany and Turkey to delve into the consequences of toxic accumulation of a molecule called cGMP
- Professor Jane Sowden, from University College London’s (UCL) Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, will be tackling the challenge of restoring some vision at the later stages of sight loss
As a new year begins, is 2024 the year that you choose to support Retina UK by taking on a challenge or organising your own fundraising event? We would love to hear from you! Whether you organise a quiz night, a bake sale or a community event, or you decide to take on a skydive, a hike or a race, we will be here to support you every step of the way.
Our website has a wide range of events for you to choose from. Let 2024 be the year that you support Retina UK whilst getting fit too.
In the latest edition of Blindingly Chatty, Laura Tyler and Mark Pampel follow on from the subject of musical instruments and discuss composition, improvisation and performance. Mark tells us how he got into music, along with giving some tips for those who are thinking of taking music to that next level.
You can listen to our podcast below, or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and more.
Chat with other people living with inherited sight loss at one of our free upcoming Local Peer Support Group meetings.
Saturday 13 January, 12.00pm – 2.00pm – In-person
Social meet up at the Waldorf Pub.
Thursday 18 January, 7.00pm – 8.00pm – Online
With the upcoming release of Samsung’s Galaxy S24 range and the highly anticipated Apple Vision Pro smart glasses, we would like to know if you have heard about any other new technology being released this year.
Sunday 21 January, 11.00am – 1.00pm – Online
Guest speaker Julie Thomson, Programme Manager, Eye Care Support Pathway, RNIB