Living with low vision

What we fund

Low vision means sight that cannot be fully corrected by spectacles, surgery or medicine, and that makes ordinary tasks hard: reading a label, crossing a road, recognising a face. It is very common, especially in old age, and much of what it takes away can be given back by training and the right tools.

We fund rehabilitation services that teach people to use the sight they have, mobility instructors who teach the long cane and safe routes, braille teaching for adults losing their sight, magnifiers and screen readers and the training to use them, and guide dog schools. In Japan, where most of the people we help are over seventy, much of the work is done in people’s homes.

Work

People with low vision are far less likely to have a job than people without, and the gap has more to do with employers than with sight. We fund employment advisers who work with both: helping people find and keep work, and helping employers adapt workplaces, software and recruitment. In FY2025 the programme helped 386 people into paid work, and 87% of those placed in FY2024 were still in work a year later.

Implants are not the answer for everyone

The Foundation’s founder made lenses, and the company he started now makes retinal implants. We fund implants for a small number of people, and they can be remarkable. But for most people with low vision, a cane, a magnifier, a screen reader and good training do more, cost far less and need no surgery. In FY2025 we spent ¥1.21 billion on this programme and ¥3.25 billion on retinal implants. We do not think that balance is right. The board has agreed to raise spending on low vision by 40% over the next three years, without reducing the number of implants we fund.