A DARLINGTON father is embarking on a hat trick of fundraising events in the hopes of finding a cure for his young daughter's rare eye condition.

Emily Marshall was just three months old when her parents noticed that she wasn’t responding to visual cues and her eyes were not focusing.

She was quickly diagnosed with a genetic eye condition known as Lebers Congenital Amaurosis and now, aged five, Emily is legally blind.

Her father Andy described their shock at learning of Emily’s condition: “It has been a steep learning curve since we first found out about Emily’s diagnosis."

Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is the term used for a group of inherited eye conditions and is one of the most common causes of blindness in children, affecting around two or three of every 100,000 newborns.

LCA mainly affects the retina, which is the specialised light-sensitive layer that lines the back of the eye. When the light-sensing cells stop working properly or are lost, this leads to sight loss.

There is currently no cure for LCA, but early research funded by Fight for Sight has led to a clinical trial of a gene therapy that is already restoring sight for patients with a different type of LCA. With more funding, new therapies could be developed to cover more types of LCA, like Emily’s.

Emily’s parents are determined to help fund a breakthrough and have been fundraising in their hometown of Darlington for Fight for Sight. In 2020 Andy will undertake a series of endurance events to raise money.

In July, he will be doing the Summer Edition Fan Dance where he will be carrying a 35lb rucksack over a 24km SAS selection route in the Brecon Beacons. In September he will undertake a 10-mile challenge event, again carrying 35lbs, which is based on the armed forces’ parachute regiments test week.

Andy said: “The third event is yet to be decided. I have a good friend who has agreed to do the events with me and the general consensus is that we will concoct a bespoke challenge ourselves."