Views on post-diagnostic support for blind and partially sighted people sought by RNIB

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is seeking views on post-diagnostic support for blind and partially sighted people in its new survey.

The survey, launching on 3 September, will gather feedback around ideas for innovation in this area.

The results will be used to help map out the future of support for people diagnosed with serious eye conditions.

The views of those with lived experience of sight loss, as well as their families and carers, and eye care professionals, are being sought.

It is the second survey that the RNIB has conducted to gather views on post-diagnostic support. This first, conducted in April 2025, gathered ideas.

The new survey will seek feedback on these ideas, with the aim of identifying which suggestions are likely to have the most impact and value.

The survey, which takes 15–30 minutes to complete, has been reviewed by RNIB’s in-house accessibility team to ensure that it is fully accessible to those who may be using assistive technology.

It involves reviewing and rating 16 ideas, with the opportunity to comment on six further ideas if the user wishes to do so. There will also be space for more detailed feedback, as well as thoughts on how ideas could potentially work in practice.

The survey opens on 3 September and will close on 8 October.

Those who did not complete the first survey are still encouraged to complete this one, RNIB said.

Working towards change

Caroline Beard, RNIB’s head of strategic innovation, said: “Losing your sight can be a very traumatic experience; it can turn your world upside down and affect all aspects of your life.

“Unfortunately, the reality is that too many people are not getting the support they need when they need it most, with some people waiting up to a year for help and others never getting it at all. This is despite the fantastic work being done by many charities and under-resourced social services teams. We want to work towards changing this.”

Beard continued: “We had a great response to the first survey and now we want to come back to people to share the ideas generated and gather input on which should be developed further.

“So, if you are blind or have a vision impairment, or know someone in your family who is, then please complete the survey and share your views, which will help shape our innovation priorities at RNIB.”

The level of post-diagnosis sight loss support is still a postcode lottery, the RNIB emphasised.

“If you work with blind and partially sighted people in some professional capacity, we also want to hear your views so we can improve existing services and develop new ways to support people,” Beard said.

She added: “It’s people living with sight loss and those who work with or support them who are experts on what needs to change. Ultimately, this insight will help us to make sure people living with sight loss get the help they need, when they need it, in a way that works for them. So, please share your views and share the survey to spread the word so we hear from as many people as possible.”

The survey can be found on the RNIB website from Wednesday 3 September.

More information on the wider research project can be found here.