Football fundraiser supports Stargardt's research

On Saturday 25 June, 18 teams competed in a football tournament organised by Izzy Cameron and her family in aid of Fight for Sight.

Three years ago, Izzy's eleven-year-old stepson Robbie was diagnosed with Stargardt's disease - an inherited eye condition that causes progressive loss of central vision.
 
There is currently no cure for Stargardt’s disease but gene-therapy research funded by Fight for Sight could lead to new treatments. This year Izzy and her family have organised a series of fundraising events, including the football tournament, to support this research which could one day help Robbie and others affected by Stargardt’s.

Since he was diagnosed, Robbie has lost his central vision and has to rely entirely on his peripheral vision. Izzy said: “The way Robbie has adapted to the changes in his vision is fantastic but because there is no way to treat the disease, it is likely to have a significant impact on what he is able to do as he gets older. It is so important to support research looking at potential treatments for Stargardt's and Robbie's friends, family and school have all been incredibly supportive of our fundraising.” 

Stargardt’s disease is caused by abnormalities in a gene called ABCA4. This gene is responsible for the production of a protein (called ABCR) which controls the movement of substances in and out of the cells in the retina. In patients with Stargardt’s disease, this protein does not work properly and deposits start to build up inside the retinal cells which causes damage and the eventual death of the cells, leading to sight loss.

Fight for Sight is supporting Professor Robert MacLaren at the University of Oxford to develop a new gene therapy treatment which could replace defective genes with healthy ones. He hopes that, following a successful clinical trial, gene therapy for Stargardt’s disease could be available for patients within five years.

To support the Cameron family’s fundraising visit http://www.justgiving.com/Izzy-Cameron.

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More about Fight for Sight
Fight for Sight is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to funding world-class research into the prevention and treatment of blindness and eye disease.

We are funding research at leading universities and hospitals throughout the UK. Our major achievements to date include:
• saving the sight of thousands of premature babies through understanding and controlling levels of oxygen delivery;
• restoring sight by establishing the UK Corneal Transplant Service enabling over 48,000 corneal transplants to take place;
• revolutionising the treatment for children with amblyopia (lazy eye);
• bringing hope to children with inherited eye disease by helping to fund the team responsible for the world’s first gene therapy clinical trial; and
• providing £1million for the research unit at the dedicated children’s eye centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital.

Fight for Sight’s current research programme is focusing on preventing and treating age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataract. We are also funding research into the causes of childhood blindness and a large number of rare eye diseases.