Emma* was a bright and adventurous child. She enjoyed riding her bike and playing with her friends. But most of all, she loved to read. However, just before her seventh birthday, everything changed. She was diagnosed with Stargardt's disease and her sight began to fail. She tried to carry on doing the things she loved. But she couldn't. Everything she knew had faded away. There were no more bike rides, no bedtime stories - but there was hope.
RNIB helped Emma reconnect with the world. We gave back the childhood she deserved.
Emma is only one of the two million people in the UK living with sight loss. We need to reach them all. Please give just £3 a month and help us change more lives.
*Names have been changed.
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Sight loss is different for everyone
Emma has a rare hereditary condition called Stargardt's disease. But there are many different sight conditions that affect children. We're working tirelessly to understand these eye disorders, so we can improve children's lives.
Stargardt's disease is an inherited condition that affects the central area of the retina called the macula. The disease tends to first appear between the ages of 10 and 20. But it can occur even earlier, as in Emma's case.
The macula is very important. It's responsible for our central vision, this is the vision we use when we are looking directly at something, when we are looking at someone's face or a photograph. It helps us to see colour and carry out detailed activity such as reading or writing. Stargardt's disease causes the cells of the macula to stop working and creates difficulties with central vision eventually leading to a blank patch in the very centre of vision. This makes everyday things like getting around, reading and watching TV extremely difficult.