RNIB Connect

Simon Antrobus is the new Chief Executive of UK sight loss charity, RNIB.RNIB Connect Radio’s Allan Russell sat down with Simon to learn more about his career, so far, his thoughts on the charity’s direction and how he switches off from the day job.Image shows Simon smiling for the camera. He is a white man with neat, short fair hair, dressed in a white shirt and charcoal suit jacket.

RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the channel Islands for a look back over some great theatre shows he saw in 2025 with audio description as well as some highlights of productions that Vidar is looking forward to seeing in 2026.Don’t forget to catch Vidar’s regular audio described theatre reviews on RNIB Connect Radio or via this podcast channel. (Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underlined with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font)

RNIB is running a new series of support groups for blind and partially sighted people.They are facilitated by a qualified counsellor and provide a confidential and therapeutic space where you can receive support from a professional and others with a similar eye condition or life experience.Each group runs on teams with audio format only for 8 weeks, with a maximum of 7 participants, ensuring plenty of time to connect and be supported.Amelia spoke to Nikki Crosby, RNIB Counselling Team leader, to learn more.Visit the events page on the RNIB website to view the upcoming groups - Events and courses to help you develop your skills | RNIB Contact the counselling and wellbeing team at [email protected] or contact the helpline on 0303 123 9999, email [email protected] or say: “Alexa, call RNIB Helpline” to an Alexa-enabled device.Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font. 

A Moorfields project published on Monday 12 January 2026 in the British Journal of Ophthalmology demonstrated the effectiveness of a widely-used eye injection to manage the previously untreatable rare condition, hypotony.Harry Petrushkin, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, tells RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey all about the recent published research into treatment for the rare eye condition hypotony which affects around 1,000 people in the UK each year and the set up of the world’s first dedicated hypotony eye clinic at Moorfields.Harry also explained to Toby more about how the eye condition affects people’s vision, how a widely-used eye injection has been used to treat people with the condition which has not only restored the pressure in their eyes but in a number of cases has also restored their vision too.There is more about the research project into hypotony, the treatment and the new eye clinic by visiting the Moorfields Eye Hospital website - https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/about-us/news-and-blogs/news/promise-for-treatment-of-chronic-hypotony(Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underlined with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font)

Join Jonathan as he continues exploring the Balkans by bus, stopping at the modern city of Shkodër.He learns more about the community came together after a dark period of history.Listen to Jonathan's Travelogues every Wednesday on The Lunch Break from 12 noon to 1 pm.Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font.