• Support & services tags

This page lists online groups, virtual activities and useful resources from other organisations for people affected by sight loss. These include peer support sessions, webinars, training, and leisure opportunities that you can join from home. Information is provided by external organisations and may change, so please check details directly with the organiser.

Looking for local, in-person activities? Visit our Local Leisure and Social Opportunities page.

For opportunities for children and families, visit our Children and Young People page.

Online Support Groups and Socials

Retina UK Peer Support Groups
National peer support and interest groups, including Talking Tech and condition-specific sessions.
Contact: services@RetinaUK.org.uk

Macular Society Support Groups
Online condition-specific groups and My Macular and Me webinars.

Glaucoma UK Digital Support Group
Virtual meet-ups for people affected by glaucoma.

Blind Ambition
Monthly online sessions focused on employment for blind and partially sighted working-age adults.

Thomas Pocklington Trust
Online sessions offering employment advice for people with sight loss.

Deafblind UK online events
Fortnightly Friday afternoon Zoom sessions offer on-the-spot tech support for people with dual sensory loss, alongside a fortnightly online Job Club.

Torch Trust Online Coffee Mornings
Monthly Christian social group, fourth Thursday each month
Contact: info@torchtrust.org

UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Organisation
Quarterly online meetings for people affected by keratoconus.

BBS UK Virtual Social Group
Monthly sessions for adults living with Bardet-Biedl Syndrome.

Behçet’s UK Online Support Groups
Regular Zoom sessions, a helpline, and peer support for people affected by Behçet’s.

Nystagmus Network Virtual Groups
Online support for adults with acquired or congenital nystagmus.

Blind Parents UK
Support for blind and partially sighted parents and grandparents.
Call 01905 886 252 or email info@blindparents.uk

RNIB online groups
Themed groups covering topics such as art, gardening, tech, and parenting.

Sense Online and Telephone Activities
Sense runs a variety of virtual and phone-based activities for people who are deafblind or have complex disabilities.

Webinars and Talks

Macular Society Virtual Clinics
Expert-led webinars held on the third Tuesday of each month

The Royal Collection Online Lectures
Monthly art talks for blind and partially sighted people on the first Tuesday of each month.

Fight For Sight
Online sessions exploring the latest in sight loss research.

Deafblind UK Talk Tech Webinars
Free sessions providing practical tech advice for people with dual sensory loss.

Training and Courses

Macular Society Eccentric Viewing Training
Free online training to help people with macular disease use their remaining vision.

Online Sighted Guiding Training by Guide Dogs

• Introduction to Sighted Guide Training by Guide Dogs – Free, online training for anyone aged 18 and over who would like to learn the basics of sighted guiding for adults.
• Friends and Family Sighted Guide Training by Guide Dogs – Free training for friends and family members of adults with sight loss. Training is open to participants from aged 12 who are learning to guide, however must be accompanied by an adult.

Retina UK Discover Wellbeing
A free online wellbeing resource for people affected by sight loss and their families.

RNIB ‘Seeing it Through’ phone support groups

RNIB’s Sight Loss Counselling Team runs Seeing it Through support groups for people adjusting to sight loss. The groups offer a safe, understanding space to share feelings, gain support from others with similar experiences, and explore ways of coping with change. Each group includes up to five participants and meets by phone for eight weekly one-hour sessions, facilitated by an RNIB counsellor. To register or find out more, visit the RNIB counselling support group webpage or call 0303 123 9999.

RNIB Jobseekers online course Link to e-learning course for jobseekers with sight loss | RNIB.

Marfan Trust Online Clinics
Regular online sessions for people affected by Marfan syndrome.

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