St Paul's Eye Appeal

Kayley’s music

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Tom Southern with Kayley Johnson and her music cd. A Warrington teenager is backing an appeal to raise money for research into sight-threatening diseases.

Kayley Johnson, 18 years old, was diagnosed with Stargardt's disease in May 2006, a condition that causes loss of central vision and also seriously affects colour vision. She was diagnosed after she found it difficult to see people's faces and the blackboard in school.

The disease affects approximately one in 10, 000 people and is usually diagnosed in people under the age of twenty, when a decrease in central vision is first noticed. There is currently no cure for this condition.

Today, Kayley is registered blind with no central vision and very restricted peripheral vision.

Kayley said:

"It was a very worrying experience.

I had to have numerous tests, including tests for a brain tumour. Losing your sight is very difficult to come to terms with - having to learn new skills can be difficult. But, the care I received at St. Paul's was fantastic.

The staff and medics were very understanding and professional."

Kayley was referred by Carmel Noonan, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Warrington Hospital, to Professor Simon Harding at the world-renowned St Paul's Eye Unit in Liverpool for specialist investigation and possible treatment.

Professor Simon Harding said:

"The impact this disease has on a person does vary from one person to the next, and it can be severe.

It causes a progressive loss of central vision and, in the early stages, people may have good visual perception, but they may experience difficulty with reading and seeing in dim lighting."

Kayley has great difficulty in seeing at night and has to wear sunglasses on sunny days; even doing the simplest of tasks like getting a bus can be difficult. Despite this, Kayley has always maintained her bubbly personality and positive outlook on life.

Kayley explained:

"Because my central vision has gone I can't see the fine detail needed for reading or driving, but I can see the outline of something big like a bus. This often means that I get on the wrong bus, which is frustrating. My family and friends are very supportive and understand how difficult it can be for me.

I am prepared to do anything to help those, like me, who affected from sight threatening diseases."

Kayley has a passion for singing and when her friends collected money to buy her a recording session at a studio in Manchester for her 18th Birthday she decided to raise money by selling her own music CD. Within a couple of weeks she had sold 200 copies of the 4-track album and raised over £1, 300.

The money will be used by St Paul's to fund new research into the causes of many eye diseases including Stargardt's disease treatment.

Kayley said:

"Unless new treatments are found my vision will continue to deteriorate and this is why I am supporting the fundraising efforts of St Paul's Eye Unit.

The treatment and care I have received from the staff has been fantastic and I would urge everyone to support in whatever way they can."

Professor Harding added:

"St Paul's has a very active research programme to develop new treatments for diseases which affect the macula, the light sensitive area at the back of the eye, such as Stargardt's disease.

It is vital we reduce the number of people that lose their sight from these diseases."

The music CD, costs £6 and can be purchased by calling St Paul's Fundraising Office on 0151 706 4291 or on-line by making a £6 donation via St Paul's Eye Appeal's Workwithus WWW site.