The government is being urged to double its spending on research into eye disease. Fight for Sight, the charity which campaigns for the ending of preventable sight loss, argues that visual impairment is costing the country billions of pounds and that more than half the two million cases of visual impairment in the UK today are preventable. The Chief Executive of Fight for Sight, Sherine Krause, joins us.

Tim Reddish is visually impaired and won numerous swimming medals when he competed in three Paralympics . He's been National Performance Director for the Disability Swim Team and he's chaired the British Paralympic Association. He's currently a member of the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board. We hear from him about the impact of delaying the 2020 games in Tokyo for a year.

A look at what specialist and mainstream schools are doing to help blind pupils get back to school safely. Can social distancing be achieved without leaving a blind pupil feeling isolated?

The National Pharmacy Association and the Macular Society discuss how best to maintain a steady flow of drugs and medicines into the UK from the EU after the Brexit transition period runs out at the end of December.

We look at the challenges facing people who are blind or visually impaired when they return to work for the first time since lockdown. We'll get advice from Maria Shinn. She's from ACAS which gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice.

Presenter: Peter White.

Peter White hears about the efforts some blind charities are having to make to revive their finances and services after lockdown.

And, Haben Girma, the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, tells us about the Her Abilities Award and the drive to celebrate more women with disabilities.

PRODUCER: Mike Young

There are now more places where you have to wear a face mask but there are exemptions if you have a disability. The national charity Sense says the government should do more to raise awareness of exemptions as they report a rise in the number of abuse cases related to the wearing of masks.

Could a robotic guide dog ever replace the real thing? We talk to Anthony Camu, a student who has designed a prototype of a new device that leads the user as a guide dog would, and Angela Wood, chair of Hab Vi UK, about the pros and cons.

And if you're still not sure about going out to a real pub, how about The Staying Inn, a virtual pub, especially welcoming to blind and visually impaired people, where the pub quiz doesn't have a picture round.

Abbie Robinson is a champion paraclimber. She talks to us about her passion for the sport and how she wants more blind and visually impaired people to take up the sport so it can qualify as a Paralympic event.

Simon Mahoney suddenly found he had to learn how to cook for himself when his wife recently died. He's now decided to put all that he has learnt into a new book. Simon talks to us about cooking safely, but with aspiration, when you have no sight.

Presented by Peter White

At the beginning of next year, when Britain leaves the European Union, rules will be different for taking dogs to EU countries. What will be the impact on guide dog owners? We speak to guide dog owner David Lucas and Chris Theobald from Guide Dogs.

There has been a growth in on-line dating during lockdown. What are the issues for blind and visually impaired people? Has it been a good experience and will people continue to use online dating services? Fern Lulham is a self-confessed veteran of dating online who has been looking at the evidence. Joy Addo and George Sullivan share their experiences.

Presenter: Peter White

Ten years ago the shooting of PC David Rathband by the fugitive killer Raoul Moat shocked the UK. Blinded in the attack, the police officer eventually took his own life.

The manhunt unfolded in real time against the relatively new backdrop of social media. We talk to writer Christopher Hogg whose award-winning drama Rathband explores the resonances of a tragedy which mirrored the communication failures and breakdowns which still define the medium today. He discusses the role Peter White's early interviews played in the conception of the drama and Robin Paley-Yorke discusses his role as host of a new Zoom performance and the perspective living in the North East and losing some of his own sight in a violent incident brought to the project.

Lord Low of Dalston gives us his take on the new Business and Planning Bill which makes it easier for bars and businesses to put seats out on the pavement and Consultant Paediatrician Pete Thomas tells us about a revolution taking place at Moorfields Eye Hospital during Lockdown. As Director of Digital Innovation he tells us about the thousands of patients accessing online consultations throughout lockdown and how the technology could change how consultants work in the future.

Presented by Peter White