We are one of Scotland’s oldest charities and have been dedicated to meeting the challenges of visual impairment for over two centuries. We’re a diverse charity with an expanding range of services. All that we do is delivered by experienced and knowledgeable experts.
We transform outcomes for people with sight loss
We connect with partners and communities to support more people
We care about those we work with and want them to flourish
What do we do?
We exist to level the playing field, because we believe that everyone with sight loss deserves the opportunity to lead a great life.
Our services range from providing specialist education to blind pupils, to residential care and document transcription to enable visually impaired people to access vital documents such as bank statements.
We know that there are significantly more people in Scotland who could benefit from our life-changing help and we are determined to develop new services to be able to reach them. We have set ourselves an ambitious long term goal: to expand our reach across Scotland to support and empower even more people affected by sight loss.
It’s a bold ambition and we can’t achieve it alone. We know that we can’t increase our impact without your support, so whether you can donate, spare some time to volunteer, or refer someone to us, we hope you’ll join us on our journey.
Our history
From our beginnings, as the world’s first national organisation supporting blind people of all ages, we have been at the forefront of developments in addressing the impact of sight loss.
In 1793, three reverends encountered the struggles of blind children and adults in Edinburgh. Upon the realisation that blind people were struggling to find employment, they established an organisation to address this issue by providing education to bring people into the workforce. Today, we are continuing their work; reaching out and utilising our expertise to break down the barriers that can deny people with sight loss their right to fulfilment.
A new chapter
In 2020 we launched our new name and brand: Sight Scotland.
One opportunity for a few has grown into a national charity with a bold new ambition. We're meeting challenges head on as we strive to make connections and reach even more people.
With your support, we’re ready for the road ahead.
About us
Our history
Learn more the history of Sight Scotland and how we have changed, grown and adapted for over 225 years.
News and stories
Find our latest news stories and blogs covering the issues around sight loss.
Our strategy
Our work is guided by our strategy. It sets out our goals and how we plan to achieve these goals.
Research
We are committed to preventing avoidable blindness and sight loss by funding research into cures and treatments. Our research will help change the lives of many people with sight loss.
How we’re run
We exist thanks to our generous supporters, and we can grow with your support. In return, we aim to be as transparent as possible about how we're run so you can trust your money is being used wisely.
Annual reports and reviews
Find out how we operate and what progress we're making.
Popular on Sight Scotland
Our new names
We are proud to announce the new names of our two sister charities and share why we changed our names. We’ve continually adapted to ensure we're there for people with sight loss, and will be there in the future too.
Make a donation
Our Executive Team
Our Executive Team lead the direction and strategy of Sight Scotland. They come from a wide range of backgrounds in the public, charitable and corporate sectors and share a commitment to supporting people with sight loss.
Find out more