Valeda Light Therapy is a new treatment that has been developed for Dry Age Related Macular Degeneration. It works by delivering three wavelengths of light to stimulate the layer of cells in the back of the eye, to keep them healthy for longer. In the UK, there are currently no effective medical treatments available and so In Touch cautiously investigates its potential. The treatment has been available to patients since the beginning of the year at an independent hospital in Manchester, operated by the company Optegra. In Touch sits down with their Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Sajjad Mahmood and eavesdrops as the treatment is delivered to patients at the hospital.

Presenter: Peter White

Vision Rehabilitation is an essential service to newly blind or partially sighted people, and those whose sight has changed. It is a service that is provided by local councils and can help with things like technology, daily mobility and independent living skills. But new Freedom of Information data from the RNIB has highlighted that many local councils aren't providing this vital service in a timely manner. Resulting in thousands of blind and partially sighted people without the help that they are entitled to by law. We hear from you about how the delays are impacting daily life and independence.

The RNIB's David Aldwinkle provides details of the findings. Andy Fisher is a vision rehabilitation specialist and has worked within the public and private sectors and Simon Labbett is the Chair of the Rehabilitation Workers Professional Network and an active rehabilitation officer in a local council - they both help us assess the issues and the potential solutions.

Presenter: Peter White

The Northern Ireland Assembly, the country's devolved legislature, have recently reformed after years of political stalemate. In Touch investigates the issues that arose during the Assembly's years of inactivity and that will have potential long-term impacts for visually impaired people. Some of the changes to the UK's benefit system uniquely impacts people in Northern Ireland because it has meant that many are no longer automatically entitled to free eye tests. This is something that many fear could lead to early signs of conditions that can cause blindness, being missed. And we investigate the impacts to transport services; particularly community transport, as many visually impaired people across Northern Ireland heavily rely on it to continue to live full and independent lives.

Presenter: Peter White

Northern Ireland recently hosted its first major assistive technology conference. The conference was hosted by the RNIB at the Europa Hotel in Belfast and it was home for the day to all the big players in the assistive technology arena. In Touch went along to find out what the latest tech has to offer and the kinds of things visually impaired people were interested in.

Presenter: Peter White

2024 promises to be hugely significant for political change around the world, with more than eighty countries planning to head to the polls. The UK being one of them. This year will see not only a general election, but local elections and others. Niki Nixon is from The Electoral Commission, and she provides details of what visually impaired people need to consider before voting, especially regarding photographic ID.

We examine your experiences with energy companies and AIHDs and we answer a listeners question: what is Visual Snow Syndrome? Dr Sui Wong, consultant neurologist and neuro-ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, helps us answer the question.

Presenter: Peter White

Tonight's edition challenges any idea that there are limits to the ways in which visually impaired people can have fun!

Shiraz Cohan is the founder of the UK Blind Baseball Association. He joins us with Lancashire Lions team mate Shoaib Nazir and Ray Clements from the Liverpool blind Trojans. They tell us how the sport has been adapted to make it accessible to blind and visually impaired people and what is being done to grow the number of UK teams.

The UK Blind Baseball Association can be contacted by email at [email protected]

So X sighted is the catchy name of what's thought to be the UK's only group of blind morris dancers. We speak to their Squire, Shirley Sheridan along with dancer Arnold Penney and band member Jean Fray. They share the story of how they got started, how they learned their craft and what it means to them.

So X sighted can be contacted by email at [email protected]

Presenter: Peter White

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.

Mixmups is a new children's TV show that aims to integrate disability into everyday adventures and children's play. The show was created by Rebecca Atkinson, who has duel sensory loss, when she realised the lack of representation in children's toys. She took her Mixmups characters to Mackinnon & Saunders, who are the studio behind some iconic kids TV shows, such as: Postman Pat, Bob the Builder and Fantastic Mr. Fox. The show follows four characters, one is visually impaired and one is a wheel chair user, as they go on adventures fuelled by their imaginations.

Presenter: Peter White

A recent YouGov poll, commissioned by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment, has found that many employers do not have inclusive employment practices. This may not come as a surprise to many blind and partially sighted people who have experienced employment or are seeking employment and so we assess what needs to happen in order to dispel the persistent misconceptions and to ensure more employment opportunities for visually impaired people.

To help us tackle this decade-long problem, we turned to Marsha De Cordova who is MP for Battersea and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment that commissioned the poll. Simon Hill is visually impaired and he describes the technological and attitudinal barriers he has faced. Martin O'Kane is the technology and employment lead for the RNIB and Eleanor Southwood is the Vision Foundation's Director of Social Impact.

To submit your evidence to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment's inquiry, email: [email protected] or call Marsha De Cordova's office to request assistance in submitting oral evidence: 0207 219 0209

Presenter: Peter White

Can blind people play baseball or be morris dancers? Of course they can!

Local sight loss charities exist throughout the UK to provide practical and emotional support to blind and visually impaired people. We wanted to learn more about the services they offer and the challenges they face. Fiona Sandford is the CEO of Visionary, the membership organisation for these charities and she joins us to answer our questions.

The immensely popular BBC programme Doctor Who recently celebrated it's 60th anniversary. We look at how the show has been made more accessible to its many blind fans and speak to some of the people who have made it happen.

Presenter: Peter White

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to