Sheffield mum shares terrifying moment daughter, 3, woke up and ‘her eyes stopped working’

A Sheffield mum has spoken out about the terrifying moment her three-year-old daughter woke up one morning and told her “Mummy, my eyes have stopped working.”
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Worried parent Natalie Wild immediately rushed her toddler, Tilly to the emergency department at Sheffield Children's Hopsital for urgent treatment.

Doctors examined the three-year-old and noticed an issue with her left eye which was later confirmed that and she had cataracts in both eyes.

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Cataracts occur when the lens of the eye develops cloudy patches, making it difficult to see clearly – the condition which is very rare in children can cause blindness if it is untreated.

3-year-old Tilly Wild from Sheffield woke up one morning and told her mum she couldn't see anymore.3-year-old Tilly Wild from Sheffield woke up one morning and told her mum she couldn't see anymore.
3-year-old Tilly Wild from Sheffield woke up one morning and told her mum she couldn't see anymore.

Tilly’s first cataract was removed in December last year and had the second one taken out of her other eye in March, 2020.

The toddler is now doing "fantastically well" ten weeks on, as she gets used to seeing the world through a special pair of glasses she has to wear.

Her mother, Natalie has paid tribute to the "amazing" staff at Sheffield Children's hospital for the "phenomenal" treatment her daughter received.

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She said: "The worry of Tilly losing her vision has made us aware of how skilfully and tirelessly the staff have worked to ensure her eyesight is the best it can be.

"They have made sure Tilly has the best possible chance of living life to her full potential and we will always be indebted to them and words cannot express how grateful we are."

Natalie recounted the scary moment in October when he daughter first told her something was wrong.

"Tilly woke up one day screaming 'mummy my eyes have stopped working, I can’t see you'.

"She also said that the light was hurting her eyes.

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"We went to the Emergency Department at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

“From the minute we walked in, they were amazing."

“Both of the doctors who saw us stayed well past the end of the clinic to see Tilly and make sure we were cared for."

Doctors arranged for the three-year-old to have a CT scan to rule out a possible brain tumour, which fortunately came back all clear at around 4am the next morning.

Natalie said the speed at which everyone worked was "phenomenal".

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Tilly now has 20/20 vision in her left eye after she received nine weeks of regular check-ups to monitor the healing of the first cataract when it was removed last year.

The operation to remove the second cataract followed in March, before the country went into lockdown.

Natalie said: "The coronavirus pandemic hit two weeks later, and we’ve still been visiting Sheffield Children’s for check-ups.

"The staff have made every effort to ensure we feel safe and we’ve also had regular phone calls to ensure we are supported at every turn, with Tilly’s health and well-being paramount."

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The three-year-old raised £2,255 to thank the eye department at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in May.

Tilly was one of the many children to join in the hospital’s ‘Theo’s 30 in 30 challenge’ which encouraged supporters to raise £30 in 30 days.

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