Congenital cataracts are the leading preventable cause of childhood blindness worldwide, though it is a rare condition that affects 2 in every 10,000 babies.

Willow was diagnosed with a unilateral congenital cataract when she was 20 months old. For some time, she would often put her hand up to cover her eye in daylight or bright light, which we initially assumed was a natural reaction to disliking the sun in her eyes. While on a family holiday, this behavior became more pronounced, so we asked Willow’s uncle Mark, who is a GP, to take a look. Mark noticed cloudiness in her left pupil and advised us to get an urgent appointment with an optician. The day after returning from holiday, we took her to the optician, where it was discovered she had no red reflex in her left eye. Willow was immediately referred for an emergency eye casualty appointment at Northampton General Hospital. There, her pupils were dilated, and she underwent several tests, including an ultrasound, which thankfully ruled out any tumours at the back of her eyes. However, it was clear she had a cataract over her left eye.

Willow is now under the care of a paediatric ophthalmologist and underwent a successful surgery at the end of May 2024 at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. During the surgery, her natural lens was removed and replaced with an artificial one. Prior to the surgery, Willow had very little, if any, vision in her left eye. We were hopeful that the cataract wasn’t present at birth, as it had never been detected during her health visitor checks, which means her eye may have had some time to develop during the first three critical months of life. With intense treatment, including patching her good eye for 6 hours a day until she is about seven years old, Willow has the potential to see well in the future.

We’ve decided to set up a family fund with the Fight for Sight charity to raise funds and awareness for congenital cataracts. Before Willow’s diagnosis, we had never even heard of cataracts in children. We remember thinking, “Oh, it’s fine—people have cataracts removed all the time.” It wasn’t until we began seeing eye specialists and researching the condition that we realised how different it is from an adult diagnosis. We quickly learned that cataracts in a child’s eye, which hasn’t fully developed yet, are far more serious than we initially thought. Without removing the cataract to allow light into Willow’s eye, her vision could have been permanently lost.

After Willow’s diagnosis and speaking with other parents, it became clear that we wasn't the only ones that had not heard of this condition before. By setting up this fund, we hope to raise awareness among parents, encouraging them to check their babies’ eyes regularly and recognise early signs such as light sensitivity and lack of "red eye" in photos, which could indicate a missing red reflex.

One in five people will experience a serious sight condition in their lifetime. Sight loss doesn’t discriminate by age, gender, or background—it can affect anyone. Sight is precious, something that money cannot buy. Your donations will help fund research to create a world where everyone can see. Please support Willow and others in their ‘Fight for Sight.’