The Macular Disease Society is bidding for a Lottery award to fund trainers to help people who are losing their sight.
The funding will go towards the Eccentric Viewing Technique Project which sees people with the disease learn how to use their re
maining peripheral vision to read, and train others.
There is only one trainer in this area, Jenny Robinson, 60, of Nashe Way, Fareham.
She said: 'I've trained 35 people so far and have another 30 on my waiting list. But with more funding more people could be trained and we could offer so much more help across the area.'
Mrs Robinson was diagnosed with macular degeneration when she was only 25. The condition causes loss of central vision which means a person cannot see fine details, read, or recognise faces.
Mrs Robinson was suffering from these affects before she took a course last year to learn how to use the eccentric viewing technique and says life is very different now.
She said: 'Since the training I can read much smaller text, and a lot quicker than I used to be able to.'
The Macular Disease Society's project is already through to the semi-final of this year's National Lottery Awards, in the Best Health Project category.
To pledge your support for the project, you can vote by calling 0845 386 5267. Voting ends on tomorrow.
The full article contains 250 words and appears in NS-City newspaper.
