See Islington’s Upper Street through the eyes of the visually impaired

To celebrate National Eye Health week an ‘Eye Pod’ will be placed on Upper Street, courtesy of the Thomas Pocklington Trust.

The Eye Pod, belonging to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), enables visitors to see what Islington’s Upper Street looks like with different visual impairments including age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in adults, as well as glaucoma, cateracts and diabetic retinopathy.

Fazilet Hadi, RNIB Director of Engagement, said: “The Eye Pod is a great way of getting people involved but it also gets across the serious message that people need to make their eye health a priority.

“Up to 50 per cent of sight loss could be avoided and there are things people can do to protect their vision including having regular eye checks.”

Councillor Janet Burgess, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services, who will be attending the event, where visitors can also arrange free eye tests, said: “Visually impaired residents play a full and active part in our community in Islington, but more must be done to raise awareness of the challenges people with eye conditions face.

“We’re pleased to be welcoming the ‘eye pod’ to the town hall, as it will be an excellent opportunity to promote good eye health.

“The day is a good reminder that we all can do simple things to look after our own sight.”

Roger Clifton, Director of Collaboration for Thomas Pocklington Trust, said:

“We run a number of events and activities for visually impaired residents in the community. We are keen to do what we can to prevent avoidable sight loss and National Eye Health Week is a great opportunity to raise awareness and get people involved.”

The Eye Pod will be in the parking area in front of the Town Hall between 10.00am and 4.00pm and volunteers, RNIB staff and local optometrists will be available to give more information.