Name

Retina UK

Legal name

Retina UK

Website

https://retinauk.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inherited Sight Loss Patient Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Retina & Vitreous Specialists (HLAKAKAE)

Keywords

• Inherited sight loss support
• Medical research funding
• Patient advocacy charity
• Peer support groups
• Genetic counselling resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Buckingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Retina UK generates revenue primarily through donations from individuals, corporate partnerships, trust and foundation grants, lottery, regular giving, membership, and legacy gifts. The organization runs various fundraising campaigns including challenge events, corporate partnerships, and special appeals such as the 50th Anniversary Appeal.
2. Donated Funds Investment: Since founding in 1976, Retina UK has invested more than £18 million into pioneering medical research funded entirely by donations and supporter contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Retina UK is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation that provides free information, emotional support, and practical services to people affected by inherited sight loss in the UK, while funding pioneering medical research into treatments such as gene therapy, stem cell therapy, and artificial vision. Core services include a volunteer-staffed Helpline, telephone befriending, local and online peer support groups, an online wellbeing course, genetics information, annual conferences, and research grants.

Product overview

Retina UK is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation offering a comprehensive suite of services for people affected by inherited sight loss. The core offering includes a Helpline (0300 111 4000) staffed by volunteers with lived experience, the Talk & Support Service for regular telephone befriending, and Local Peer Support Groups meeting in-person and virtually across the UK. Key educational resources include Discover Wellbeing (an online emotional wellbeing course), Unlock Genetics (genetics information and testing guidance), and the Eye Care Support Pathway framework. The organization hosts Annual and Professionals' Conferences, publishes the Look Forward quarterly newsletter, and offers webinars on inherited sight loss topics. Retina UK also funds medical research through grants, PhD studentships, and consortium projects including The Gene Team and UKIRDC. The Lived Experience Panel enables community members to participate in research and advocacy activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retina UK Helpline A free telephone and email helpline providing information, signposting, and emotional support to people affected by inherited sight loss, staffed by volunteers with personal lived experience of the conditions.
• Talk & Support Service A free telephone befriending service that links isolated individuals affected by inherited sight loss with trained volunteers for regular friendly phone calls.
• Local Peer Support Groups Free in-person and virtual group meetings across 13 UK locations where people affected by inherited sight loss share experiences, tips, and form friendships, plus focused interest groups.
• Discover Wellbeing A free online course developed with Arthur Ellis Mental Health to help people affected by inherited sight loss develop emotional wellbeing awareness and practical skills, with three pathways covering early stages, living with change, and supporting others.
• Unlock Genetics A free online resource providing comprehensive information on genetic testing, inheritance patterns, genetic counselling, and accessing genetic services for inherited retinal dystrophies.
• Medical Research Funding Grants, PhD studentships, and consortium funding awarded to investigators researching causes and treatments for inherited retinal dystrophies, including The Gene Team and the UK Inherited Retinal Dystrophy Consortium (UKIRDC).
• Annual Conference Annual free conference for the inherited sight loss community featuring research updates, expert speakers, and networking, available in-person and online.
• Eye Care Support Pathway A free framework outlining support needs at four key stages of the eye care journey, designed to help individuals navigate diagnosis, registration, and post-diagnosis pathways.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than £18 million invested in medical research since 1976
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• UK Inherited Retinal Dystrophy Consortium (UKIRDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Collaborative project bringing together four largest UK research groups specializing in inherited retinal diseases at University of Leeds, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, and Oxford University Eye Hospital. Funded by Retina UK since 2014.
• Macular SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funding partnership for PhD studentships focusing on inherited macular dystrophy research. Jointly funding multiple research projects including Stargardt disease gene repair research, cone-mediated disc formation research, and other projects.
• Retina InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal federation of inherited sight loss charities; Retina UK participates in the global network and contributes to international resources including the Inherited Retinal Diseases toolkit developed for patients and families.
• Gene.VisionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide condition-specific information for patients and families as well as current research and clinical trial information through the Gene.Vision website.
• The Gene Team (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by Professors Robin Ali, James Bainbridge and Michel Michaelides. Funding from Retina UK has enabled exploration of gene therapy viability and building a pipeline of clinical trials for RP and related conditions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• SeeAbility: UK charity focused on people with learning disabilities and sight loss. It overlaps with Retina UK on the broader sight-loss support category and competes for some UK grants and donors, but specializes in the intersection of learning disability and vision rather than inherited retinal disease specifically.
• Blind Veterans UK: UK charity providing support to vision-impaired ex-service personnel. Overlaps with Retina UK as a UK sight-loss charity competing for similar donor segments, but its population focus (veterans) and service mix are distinct.

Direct peers

• Fight for Sight: UK charity that funds pioneering eye and vision research. It is the joint funder of the UKIRDC consortium with Retina UK, making it the closest peer on the medical-research-funding side of Retina UK's mission.
• Macular Society: UK charity providing support and funding research for people with macular conditions, including inherited macular dystrophies such as Stargardt disease. It is Retina UK's explicit co-funder on inherited macular dystrophy PhD studentships, making it the most directly comparable UK peer in mission overlap and beneficiary profile.
• Foundation Fighting Blindness: US-based charity funding inherited retinal disease research and providing patient support, including a My Retina Tracker registry. It is the closest geographic peer to Retina UK in mission and operates as Retina UK's effective American counterpart, offering a direct read-across on fundraising scale and research-grant strategy.
• Retina International: Global federation of inherited retinal dystrophy charities of which Retina UK is an active member. It coordinates international resources (e.g., the Inherited Retinal Diseases toolkit), making it a direct peer in mission and a structural partner rather than a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB): The largest UK charity for people with sight loss, covering all eye conditions rather than inherited ones specifically. It overlaps with Retina UK on the support/services layer (Helpline, advocacy, information) and competes for the same UK donor pool, but its breadth means it is a broad incumbent rather than a niche competitor.
• Guide Dogs: Large UK sight-loss charity providing mobility services, advice, and broader support. Overlaps with Retina UK on fundraising competition and on some beneficiary segments, but offers a fundamentally different product (guide dog services) and competes for general sight-loss donor share.

Emerging players

• Choroideremia Research Foundation: US-based research-focused charity serving people affected by choroideremia—an inherited retinal condition that Retina UK also supports through its helpline and information services. Comparable niche mission and small scale, but focused exclusively on one condition.
• Usher Syndrome Coalition: International nonprofit supporting people affected by Usher syndrome (USH2A mutations, a key inherited retinal research target for Retina UK-funded projects). Comparable mission overlap on a specific inherited sight-loss condition with parallel research-funding and community-support model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/retinauk
• Facebookfacebook.com/RetinaUKcharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/retinauk
• Instagraminstagram.com/Retina_UK
• Xx.com/retinauk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Retina UK