St Paul’s Eye Research Foundation

Since 1992, we have been funding pioneering research between St Paul’s Eye Unit’s world-leading clinicians and academics at the Department of Eye and Vision Science at the University of Liverpool, along with partners across the country and abroad. The impact of our work is renowned across the UK and world-wide.

Our success has been underpinned by regular strategic reviews. Our latest one was published in November 2021, entitled The Future of Ophthalmology and Vision Science in Liverpool: Looking forward to 2030.

This report took 18 months to compile. It contains findings from interviews and workshops with clinicians, academics and other health specialities from St Paul’s Eye Unit, The Department of Eye and Vision Science at the University of Liverpool and from across the country. 

This review is crucial to fundraising as it helps provide the Foundation with a clear direction, making it easier to communicate our purpose and value to potential donors. It also demonstrates accountability and enhances credibility, fostering donor trust.  

You can learn more by reading the New Appeal Brochure.

Make a donation    

You can donate on-site in our clinics, online via our Just Giving page, by calling 0151 706 4291 or by sending a cheque made payable to: 

St Paul’s Eye Research Foundation St Paul’s Eye Unit Royal Liverpool University Hospital Prescot Street Liverpool L7 8XP 

Leave a legacy 

Many of our patients or their loved ones have chosen to donate in their Will as a thank you for the care our teams have provided. 

"Making a will is an excellent and practical way to say ‘thank you’ to St Paul’s Eye Unit. It also contributes to future funding so that St Paul’s can continue to provide treatment and carry out vital research. A gift of any size is an amazing way of leaving a lasting legacy to benefit future generations." 

Naomi Pinder, Solicitor, Catherine Higgins Law 

"In some countries the specialist care given by St Paul’s would be absurdly expensive and sight would be lost. I’m so grateful that I was able to have the treatment I did when I needed it - at absolutely no cost. As a small token of gratitude for the care I received, I decided to leave a legacy to St Paul’s Eye Unit - I felt it was the least I could do." 

Iris Crook, Patient 

For more information on this, please read our Leaving a Lasting Legacy leaflet.

Support from local businesses 

Supporting a charity is a great way of contributing to your corporate social responsibilities and showing your commitment to help a worthy cause. There are many ways you can support us: 

• Staff volunteering: Give your staff some time away from their day job to help out at St Paul’s Eye Unit. From making tea and toast for those who’ve just had surgery, to guiding patients around the hospital, our volunteers are vital to us and find it truly rewarding. 

• Corporate giving: However big or small, we’re grateful for all the donations we receive.

Volunteering  

Volunteering is a powerful way to make a difference, both personally and in the broader community. Whether you would like to help us in our fundraising efforts, in our clinics or with research, please get in touch. 

The Foundation has regular, well-publicised funding rounds, including early career researchers and larger projects. The aim for these regular funding rounds is to encourage high-quality funding applications and help researchers to plan and support the development of the next generation of researchers. 

The Foundation will remain flexible for funding requests and an example of funding application we have supported can be seen by clicking here. 

All applications must align to the Ophthalmology and Vision Strategy. 

The successful applications will be publicised to promote transparency and awareness. 

All application are assessed by the Foundation’s Awards Working Group and can be for host of reasons such as pump-priming, bridging funds for existing projects, salary support, consumables and travel.   

Early career support is for £5,000 and less. There is not maximum amount although when the call is made we will let know what monies is available and if there are any restrictions.  These restrictions are usually a result of a donor’s wishes.  

You can download the St Paul’s Eye Research Foundation’s application form here.

St Paul's Eye Unit 

Based at Liverpool University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, St Paul’s Eye Unit provide a world renowned ophthalmic service, dealing with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases of the eye and visual system, not only to the community of Liverpool, but to regional, national and international referrals. 

The team of specialist ophthalmologists have expertise in a wide range of eye conditions, and are supported by a team of nurses, technicians and administrators. 

St Paul's Eye Unit works closely with the Department of Eye and Vision Science at the University of Liverpool and is a centre of excellence for both care and education from their a long tradition of research-based care. 

Much of the research undertaken at St Paul’s is based in the Clinical Eye Research Centre, a patient-focused research facility. From our funding, the Clinical Eye Research Centre has been at the forefront of many major advances, from the first photo dynamic testing to modern treatments for age-related macular degeneration. 

Department of Eye and Vision Science 

We work closely with the Department of Eye and Vision Science in the Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences at the University of Liverpool. 

Using world-class research, the department works to improve the quality of life of millions of people on an international scale. Scientists, engineers and clinicians work from bench to bedside to uncover how basic mechanisms, processes and structures relate to vision and how they are affected by ageing and disease. This work is having life-changing results for patients of all ages, all around the world. 

The cutting-edge facilities in a state-of-the-art hub, clinical and non-clinical scientists, many of whom have been supported from our funding, carry out world-leading research. Ideas are tested in the University and later undergo clinical trialling just across the road in St Paul’s 

"Since 1992 the Foundation’s support has helped us to develop an internationally renowned research team here in Liverpool. Our scientists are developing exciting new research concepts, all focused on preventing and treating vision loss, which we then test in St Paul’s. Without the Foundation we wouldn’t have developed the innovative research ideas that have and will transform the lives of people with sight-threatening conditions." 

Professor Simon Harding, Chair Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology 

Liverpool Reading Centre  

The Liverpool Ophthalmic Reading Centre (LORC) is part of St Paul's Eye Unit and carries out Ophthalmic image grading and interpreting, while supporting clinical trials on eye diseases. 

The service, which was established in 2005, is strongly linked with the research activity of the Department of Eye and Vision Sciences, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool. 

The Liverpool Ophthalmic Reading Centre supports multi-centre clinical trials on eye diseases consisting of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Diabetic Retinopathy and is linked to reading centres in Belfast and Moorfields, London. 

All three reading centres form the Networc of Reading Centres UK (NetwORC UK) coordinated by the Central Administrative Resource Centre (CARF) in Belfast. 

Centre for Health Economics & Medicine Evaluation (CHEME) 

The Centre for Health Economics & Medicines Evaluation (CHEME) was founded in 2001.  They are now one of the leading health economics centres in the UK. CHEME contributed to the University's UoA3 (subjects allied to health) submission to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, which indicated that 95% of our research is internationally-excellent or world-leading, and which placed us 9th out of 89 institutions in terms of 3* and 4* outputs. 

At CHEME, they aim to promote and sustain high-quality research, maximise opportunities for research grant capture and publications in high impact journals. 

The Centre is active across a range of health economic and medicines evaluation research activities. These are broadly categorised into the following research themes: 

• Public health economics and the health economics of psychosocial interventions and other non-pharmacological health technologies, led by Professor Rhiannon Tudor Edwards 

• Pharmacoeconomics, pharmaceutical policy and medicines use, led by Professor Dyfrig Hughes.