Sight Scotland

06/10/2026

Sight Loss Councils Scotland Listening Month: Have your say!

What matters most to you as a person with a visual impairment living in Scotland?

This October, Sight Loss Councils Scotland are asking people with lived experience of visual impairment to share what matters to them. We want to hear about the things that affect your everyday life. From transport and public spaces to healthcare, information, technology, culture and local services. We are hosting an in person drop in event on:

Glasgow: 12th of October 10am - 3pm Venue – Glasgow at Civic House, Civic House, 26 Civic St, Glasgow G4 9RH

Dumfries: 13th of October 10am - 3pm Venue – D&G at Midsteeple Quarter, The Green Room, The Standard, 139 High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2QT

Edinburgh: 13th October, 10am-4:30pm – Sight Scotland Veterans, 2a Robertson Avenue, Edinburgh, EH11 1PZ

Online Forum 20th of October - more info on our website

If you are unable to make it along to these sessions, please fill out the survey on our website.

Your feedback will help Sight Loss Councils Scotland understand the priorities of blind and partially sighted people across Scotland and inform our future engagement, campaigning and influencing work.

Your voice matters, and every response helps us build a clearer picture of what needs to change.

More info here: https://bit.ly/3Yx1ANt

Image description: A deep blue Sight Loss Councils branded flyer with a circle eye design in the right hand corner and the following text written: Listening Month Drop In Sessions. Monday 12 October: Glasgow 10 am to 3 pm. Tuesday 13 October: Dumfries and Galloway, 10 am to 3pm, Edinburgh 10 am till 4:30 pm. Sight Loss Councils: a vision for change.

06/10/2026

So proud of our Policy Group member and former Royal Blind School pupil Sam Gough who is currently smashing it with the Para Lionesses at the IBSA Blind Football European Championship!

Well done Sam 👏

The Para Lionesses captain previewed the tournament, which starts on Saturday 3 October.

02/10/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who popped along to Sight Scotland Veterans' Hawkhead and Linburn Veterans Centres for our Doors Open Days!

Across the two days, we welcomed 266 visitors who came to look around, meet our veterans and staff, enjoy a cuppa, and have a go at everything from archery and curling to crafts and poppy making.

It was fantastic to see so many people through the doors, sharing stories, making connections and discovering what makes our centres such special and welcoming places.

We loved meeting so many new faces and look forward to welcoming many of you back again soon.

Image descriptions:

1. Two Sight Scotland Veterans staff members are smiling and standing behind a yellow eye shaped frame. Surrounding them are by purple and yellow balloons. The frame has the text "Tackling vision loss together" on it.

2. An adult and two kids are sitting at a round table. They are smiling and doing arts and crafts with black paper and chalk, making creations that look like planets and shooting stars.

3. A group of four people are smiling and sitting at a table. They are holding red poppies that they have made. The room is bright and has art supplies and paintings on display.

4. A Sight Scotland Veterans staff member is standing beside and watching someone who is actively engaged in a game of indoor curling.

30/09/2026

Screeching tyres, roaring engines and a lot of very happy people at the end of it.

A brilliant day out for the veterans at our sister charity. One of them put it best: “I can talk for Britain, but yeah, I'm speechless for the day.”

Visually impaired veterans supported by Sight Scotland Veterans get behind the wheel at Driftland for an unforgettable driving experience.

27/09/2026

Quick question. When did you last have an eye test?

If you can't quite remember, treat this as your nudge.

A lot of eye conditions have no early symptoms. Glaucoma quietly affects the edges of your vision first. Diabetic retinopathy can develop with no warning signs. Changes from AMD can be subtle at the start. In every case, a routine eye test can pick things up long before you'd notice yourself.

The general advice is an eye test at least every two years, and more often if you're higher risk or something has changed.

It takes about half an hour. Tell us in the comments, when did you last go? 👇

[Image description: On a purple banner, white text reads "When did you last have an eye test?" Below, a person with short dark hair, seen from behind, faces an eye chart on a wall while a hand in a white coat points to a letter with a pointer]

26/09/2026

There's no Shakespeare Square in Edinburgh any more. But step back to 1793 and you'd find a rented house there, where nine people sat down to learn a trade, so blind and partially sighted people could earn a living and support themselves.

That was 1793, when we were only the third organisation in the world set up to improve the lives of blind people.

More than 230 years on, those workshops have grown into a school, a braille press, care homes and support across Scotland. In 2020 we became Sight Scotland. The name changed. The reason we exist didn't.

Check out our timeline below. 👇

From our beginnings in 1793 we've become one of Scotland's largest charities helping people impacted by sight loss. Learn more the history of Sight Scotland and how we have changed, grown and adapted for over 225 years.

25/09/2026

Imagine not knowing what's in the tin or packet you are holding.

For many blind and partially sighted people, that's a daily reality.

“Having clear braille labels on food would provide reassurance and confidence and remove so much uncertainty from daily life.” - Veronica

We're campaigning for food packaging to include the name of the product in braille.

If you're blind or partially sighted, or know someone who is, please complete or share our survey.
🔗 https://bit.ly/3T1ZQwH

[Image description: Veronica is wearing dark glasses and a colourful crochet cardigan while standing in a kitchen, holding a Co-op Fish Pie with cheese sauce ready meal up to the camera.]

25/09/2026

There's a lot you can do to look after your eyes, and most of it is simpler than you'd think.

This short animation runs through the basics. Eating well, staying active, not smoking, going easy on alcohol, and protecting your eyes from the sun.

The main message is the simplest one. Book a regular eye test, even if your sight feels fine. A test can pick up the early signs of a problem, and sometimes wider health conditions too, long before you'd notice anything yourself.

Give it a watch. 👇

This is "NHS_eyes_EnglishSUBS" by Dave Mckenna on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

24/09/2026

A full day at a screen catches up with your eyes. They get tired and dry, and by the afternoon there's often a headache to go with it.

The 20-20-20 rule is a simple way to give them a break. It's all in the graphic. Three easy steps, twenty seconds at a time.

Give it a go this afternoon and see how your eyes feel.

[Image description: The 20-20-20 rule: a simple way to reset your eyes when using screens. Three steps, each with an icon. A clock, every 20 minutes. A tree, look at something 20 feet away. A stopwatch, for 20 seconds. When did you last look up? Sight Scotland logo below.]

24/09/2026

We are delighted to have won the Influencing Award at the Visionary Awards 2026 for our Fair Rail Campaign, which has secured free rail travel in Scotland for companions of visually impaired people.

This campaign put the voices of people with lived experience first, and we're thrilled their contributions have been recognised.

You can find out more about our Fair Rail Campaign here:
https://bit.ly/4iFLqwG