Fight for Sight partners with Mumsnet to promote new campaign
From 28 October, Fight for Sight is partnering with Mumsnet to promote its #JoinOurFightforSight campaign, featuring a video of Jackson – an 11-year-old boy with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), an inherited eye condition causing sight loss.
At just two and a half months' old, Jackson was diagnosed with the condition, causing the loss of his central vision.
Promisingly, Fight for Sight-funded research led by Professor Mike Cheetham at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology has already led to breakthroughs using a genetic technique to restore the sight of patients with another type of Leber congenital amaurosis.
Alicia Coghlan, Jackson’s mother, who also features in the film, said: “People often ask when Jackson is going to be treated and we have to explain that we aren’t there yet, even though we know that with more funding research has the answers. Jackson is an energetic young boy who enjoys living his life to the full – I just want him to be able to see so much more of the world.”
Jackson is just one of over 25,000 children in the UK affected by blindness or sight loss. Our pioneering research has already led to transformational treatments and our science is on the verge of future cures. With more support, we can radically reshape the future for children affected by sight loss.
The guest campaign on the Mumsnet site will run for two weeks from 28 October until the end of November.
You can view the campaign on our website here and on the Mumsnet page here.
About Leber congenital amaurosis
Leber congenital amaurosis is an inherited eye condition affecting the retina - the specialised tissue at the back of the eye that detects light and colour. People with this disorder typically have severe visual impairment beginning in infancy and currently there is no cure. It affects about 1 in 80,000 people and is the most common form of inherited sight loss in children.
You can read more about Leber congenital amaurosis here.