Gift of Sight

21/10/2026

Congratulations to Professor Andrew Lotery, who has been elected a Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in recognition of his outstanding contributions to vision research and dedication to the organisation.

ARVO is the world's largest eye and vision research organisation, and this prestigious honour recognises Professor Lotery's international impact on advancing research into sight loss and eye disease through his work at the University of Southampton.

15/10/2026

Congratulations to Dr Arjuna Ratnayaka, who has been elected as a Fellow of the Anatomical Society in recognition of his significant contributions to anatomical research, education and the wider scientific community.

Arjuna's research focuses on retinal cell biology, neurodegeneration and sight-loss conditions including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Stargardt disease and Sorsby fundus dystrophy. His work has helped advance our understanding of how retinal diseases develop, while his dedication to mentoring students is helping to inspire the next generation of vision scientists.

We're delighted to celebrate this well-deserved achievement.

Read more at: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/medicine/news/2026/10/dr-arjuna-ratnayaka-elected-fellow-of-the-anatomical-society.page

12/10/2026

Congratulations to Clinical Research Fellow, Dr Alex Tanner, who completed his first-ever marathon last week in sunny Jersey!

Alex crossed the finish line in a fantastic time of 4 hours 28 minutes, while raising vital funds for Gift of Sight.

Alex said:

"Alongside my clinical work as an ophthalmologist, I am deeply passionate about eye research and proudly work with the Vision Sciences Laboratory here in Southampton. Our research is made possible by the incredible support of Gift of Sight, and I am fundraising to help drive vital breakthroughs in vision science. Any support you can give would mean the world."

A huge thank you to Alex for taking on this challenge and helping to advance sight-saving research.

If you'd like to support Alex's fundraising, you can donate via his JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/alex-tanner-1

Jersey Marathon Health Research Southampton

08/10/2026

Today is World Sight Day.
Sight loss can affect people at every stage of life, from childhood eye conditions to diseases that become more common as we age. That's why Gift of Sight supports research across a wide range of eye conditions, helping researchers better understand disease, improve diagnosis and develop new treatments.
Swipe through to explore some of the key areas of eye research taking place at the University of Southampton and discover how research is helping tackle some of the biggest causes of sight loss.

07/10/2026

Lovely to visit the Chichester Macular Society group today. Dr Arjuna Ratnayaka from the University of Southampton gave a fascinating talk about his work in retinal biology, which was very well received. Thank you for the warm welcome and excellent questions from the floor! It was a pleasure to meet you all again.

05/10/2026

They did it!

Huge congratulations to Professor Andrew Lotery and his Highfield relay team, who completed this year's Clarendon Marathon in an incredible 3 hours 39 minutes, beating last year's time by 8 minutes.

The team set themselves the challenge of finishing in under four hours and comfortably exceeded their goal, despite the unseasonably warm conditions. Professor Lotery completed his leg of the relay in an impressive 49 minutes!

Thank you to everyone who has supported their efforts so far. Every donation helps fund pioneering eye research here in Southampton, bringing us closer to better treatments and prevention for sight-threatening conditions.

If you'd like to celebrate the team's fantastic achievement and support their fundraising, there's still time to donate via their JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/page/team-lotery-19

Clarendon Marathon Health Research Southampton

02/10/2026

This weekend, Professor Andrew Lotery will be running the Clarendon Marathon as part of a four-man relay team from Highfield in aid of Gift of Sight.

The team are hoping to complete the full 26-mile distance in under 4 hours! Can you give them the motivation to push on through?

Please join us in wishing four runners the best of luck, and if you’d like to support their challenge, please donate via their JustGiving page. All funds raised will support the vital eye research, led by Prof Lotery at the University of Southampton.

Health Research Southampton

Help Team Lotery raise money to support Gift of Sight

28/09/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our Gift of Sight Quiz at Lymington Town Sailing Club last week. It was wonderful to spend the evening in such a lovely venue and to meet so many brilliant quizzers! Congratulations to the winning team "All the Fish"!

Special thanks to Neil from Specsavers, who did a sterling job as Quizmaster and helped make the evening such an enjoyable success.

We're also incredibly grateful to the generous local businesses who donated prizes for our raffle:
Eight Two O
Flapjackery
PIG B**R Brewery
Setley Ridge Farm Shop
COOK Lymington
Specsavers

Thank you all for your support. Events like these help raise vital funds for vision research at the University of Southampton.

23/09/2026

On 4th October, University of Southampton Vision Sciences researcher and ophthalmologist, Dr Alex Tanner, will be taking on a marathon to raise funds for Gift of Sight. His first ever marathon!

By going the extra mile, Alex is helping to support the vital eye research taking place in Southampton. Good luck Alex and thank you for your incredible support!

If you'd like to support his challenge, please donate via his JustGiving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/alex-tanner-1

Health Research Southampton

Help Alex Tanner raise money to support Gift of Sight

21/09/2026

This World Alzheimer's Day, we're highlighting research that shows how discoveries in one field can help advance understanding in another.

At the University of Southampton, PhD researcher Charlie Ellis, supervised by Dr Arjuna Ratnayaka, is investigating lysosomes, the tiny structures inside our cells responsible for breaking down and recycling waste.

Previous studies have shown that lysosomal dysfunction plays an important role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of sight loss, but similar cellular processes are also implicated in conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

By understanding how these cellular "recycling systems" become damaged with age, our vision scientists are helping to uncover new insights that could have implications across multiple areas of health research.

We're delighted that, thanks to the generosity of a legacy supporter, Charlie will continue this important work at Southampton as a postdoctoral researcher from November.

Over the next two years, he will build on discoveries made during his PhD while helping to advance our understanding of both sight loss and wider age-related disease.

This study demonstrates how eye research has the potential to unlock insights into diseases beyond those affecting vision alone.

Health Research Southampton