Retina France

What Retina France does

Retina France is a French non-profit patient association (association loi 1901) founded in 1984 and headquartered in Colomiers, France. It is dedicated to fighting visual diseases — primarily hereditary retinal dystrophies and age-related macular degeneration (AMD/DMLA) — through three interlocking activities: funding ophthalmological research, providing direct support services to patients and families, and raising public awareness. The association operates a national network of regional correspondents (Correspondants Retina) who run in-person sessions across France, complemented by a listening service (Service Ecoute), a social service (Service Social Retina), the Revue Le Rétino magazine, and a YouTube channel (Rétine TV). It also maintains the CERTO research laboratory and the Fondation Retina as dedicated research and fundraising arms.

The association's product surface is service- and content-based rather than technology-based: educational documentation, online information resources, a merchandise boutique (La Boutique), the Mille Chœurs pour un Regard annual fundraising event, and the Euro Solidaire international aid program. Core research outputs are grants to academic and clinical partners (Institut de la Vision, I-Stem, CHNO des Quinze-Vingts, University of Montpellier, GenSight Biologics, Science Corporation) and co-funding of clinical trials such as the 2025 PRIMAVera trial of the PRIMA retinal implant and the 2021 optogenetics trial published in Nature Medicine. Notable therapeutic milestones associated with the association include the 2019 availability of Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec) gene therapy in France.

Retina France is funded by individual donations, annual membership fees, legacy gifts and bequests, merchandise sales, and corporate sponsorships from major pharmaceutical companies (Novartis, AbbVie, Bayer, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, Biogen, Roche, Sanofi, Astellas, Optic 2000). Membership and donations are voluntary, and the association does not publicly disclose specific pricing or revenue figures. It is governed by a board of directors (conseil d'administration) and an elected membership body, with no shareholders, parent company, or external capital owners.

Name

Retina France

Legal name

Association Retina France

Website

https://retina.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Retina France is a French non-profit patient association founded in 1984 that funds retinal disease research (via the CERTO laboratory and Fondation Retina) and provides patient support, education, and social services to people affected by hereditary and age-related retinal diseases in France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Association / Nonprofit Visual Health Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retina & Vitreous Specialists (HLAKAKAE), Ophthalmology Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAK)

Keywords

• Patient association
• Retinal disease support
• Ophthalmology research funding
• Visual impairment services
• Nonprofit healthcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Colomiers

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The association raises funds through public donations to support ophthalmological research programs and patient services. Donors receive tax receipts and can make one-time or recurring contributions.
2. Membership fees: Annual membership fees from individuals who join the association to support its mission and receive member benefits including the newsletter and access to services.
3. Legs and legacies: The association accepts legacy gifts and bequests from supporters, which are mentioned as a way to sustain long-term research funding.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Retina France is a French nonprofit patient association that funds ophthalmology research on retinal diseases, provides patient and family support services (listening service, social assistance, genetic counseling orientation), and disseminates educational content through publications, a YouTube channel, and a network of regional correspondents. The organization operates the CERTO research laboratory and the Fondation Retina, and channels member dues, public donations, legacies, and pharmaceutical sponsorships into research programs, clinical trial support, and patient advocacy in France.

Product overview

Retina France is a non-profit patient association dedicated to fighting visual diseases through research funding, patient support services, and public education. The organization operates the CERTO research laboratory, publishes the Revue Le Rétino, maintains the Rétine TV YouTube channel, and provides support services including a listening service and social services. Key programs include the Mille Chœurs pour un Regard singing event, Euro Solidaire international aid, and various educational resources including documentation on retinal diseases. The association connects patients with specialized healthcare centers and funds genetic diagnostic research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Revue Le Rétino The association's published magazine containing articles about retinal diseases, research updates, patient testimonials, and educational content for members and the broader visual health community.
• Chaîne YouTube Rétine TV
• CERTO Research Laboratory
• Service Ecoute
• Service Social Retina
• Mille Chœurs pour un Regard
• Euro Solidaire
• La Boutique
• Documentation Center

Quantifiable outcome

• Funded development of Luxturna gene therapy available in France since April 2019
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NovartiscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNovartis partnered with Retina France to create a dedicated website about gene and cell therapies (therapies-geniques-cellulaires.fr), providing information to patients about available and developing treatments.
• AbbVieminorOthersPharmaceutical company sponsor visible on Retina France website as a supporting partner.
• BayerminorOthersPharmaceutical company sponsor visible on Retina France website as a supporting partner.
• Johnson & Johnson (Janssen)minorOthersPharmaceutical company sponsor visible on Retina France website as a supporting partner.
• BiogenminorOthersBiotechnology company sponsor visible on Retina France website as a supporting partner.
• RocheminorOthersPharmaceutical company sponsor visible on Retina France website as a supporting partner.
• SanofiminorOthersFrench pharmaceutical company mentioned in connection with SAR402663 DMLA treatment development.
• Science CorporationminorOthersCompany developing PRIMA retinal implant for DMLA treatment, with Professor José Sahel leading European clinical trials.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• GenSight Biologics: French clinical-stage biotech developing gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases; comparable as an ecosystem participant sharing research partnerships and trial infrastructure with Retina France (e.g., optogenetics trial) but operating as a for-profit drug developer rather than patient association.

Direct peers

• Pro Retina Deutschland: German self-help organization for people with retinal degenerations; directly comparable as a national patient association with the same disease focus, advocacy model, and research funding programs in a neighboring European market.
• Retina UK: UK national patient association for inherited retinal dystrophies; directly comparable as a national nonprofit in the same disease category, sharing mission, member services, and research funding approach.
• Fighting Blindness (Ireland): Irish charity funding research into blindness and supporting people affected by sight loss; directly comparable to Retina France as a national patient association funding ophthalmology research and providing support services.
• Foundation Fighting Blindness: US-based nonprofit funding retinal degenerative disease research and providing patient support; directly comparable to Retina France in mission, funding model (donations + corporate sponsors), and research investment approach through grants and lab partnerships.
• Retina International: Umbrella organization of national retina patient associations headquartered in Ireland, directly comparable as a peer coordinating cross-border retinal disease advocacy, research funding, and patient support services across multiple European countries.

Regional players

• UNADEV: French national union for the prevention of blindness and visual impairment support; comparable as a France-based nonprofit serving the visually impaired population through social services, advocacy, and research support, but with broader vision-loss scope beyond retinal diseases.
• Fondation Voir & Entendre: French foundation supporting vision and hearing research at Institut de la Vision; comparable as a French research-funding nonprofit with overlapping grant recipients (Institut de la Vision), though structured as a foundation rather than a patient association.
• Fédération des Aveugles et Amblyopes de France: French federation supporting blind and visually impaired persons; comparable as a French advocacy nonprofit with similar geographic scope and patient-support services, though focused on broader visual impairment rather than retinal disease specifically.
• AFM-Téléthon: Large French nonprofit funding rare disease research with a high-profile telethon fundraising model; comparable to Retina France as a French health nonprofit using mass-media fundraising and funding gene therapy research, but with a much broader disease mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RETINAFRANCE
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/RetinaFrance/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/retina.fr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/retina-france

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 France