The income of international development charity Sightsavers is up 26 per cent to just under £200m since 2012, according to its 2013 accounts.

The charity's income last year was £199.7m, including £152.6m worth of gifts in kind. Excluding gifts in kind, the charity’s income was up 21.4 per cent from 2012 to £47.1m.

Sightsavers secured gift-in-kind donations valued at £152.3m from Merck Inc, for the charity’s responsibility of co-ordinating the distribution of tablets to people at risk of developing river blindness. This was up on the 2012 figure of £119.5m.

The charity spent £700,000 more than it earned in 2013, however it still retains reserves of £10.3m, which is above its target level of £6m.

Dr Caroline Harper, chief executive of Sightsavers, said: “Through continued hard work, dedication, backing from amazing supporters and strong partnerships, Sightsavers has been able to change the lives of people, families and communities in some of the world’s poorest countries.

“Distributing treatments to protect against disease, carrying out sight-saving surgeries, and helping blind people to live independently, has given millions of people a better quality of life.”

Two employees at the charity, one of whom is believed to be its chief executive, earned between £100,000 and £109,999 last financial year.

Since 2012, Sightsavers have been publishing online its balanced scorecard which uses a traffic-light system to monitor and manage its strategic performance.

Last month Sightsavers was awarded £39m to tackle blindness on behalf of the Department for International Development.