The ONCE pays special importance to the prevention of blindness and so carries out numerous activities aimed at promoting measures to prevent the occurrence or worsening of eyesight problems.

It offers its members a Genetic Advisory Service for prevention and to inform those couples, in which one or both members are blind, of the probability of transmitting their pathology to their children.

A few years ago the Organization carried out a nation-wide eyesight awareness campaign.The ONCE published a book with the data and conclusions of its findings, which offers a true overview of the Spanish population’s ocular health.

Every two years since 1998, and to support research into blindness, the ONCE organizes an International Research and Development (R&D) Competition, with 300,000 euros in prizes (a first prize of 180,000 euros and two consolation prizes of 60,000 euros each), for research work, aimed at preventing blindness or mitigating its impact, in such varied scientific fields as biotechnology, engineering, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, etc.