Paris Marathon 2019

Dear all, firstly welcome to my page. I thought I would give you a breakdown as to why I am attempting this massive task. As some of you know, I suffer from an eye condition called Kerataconus which has had an impact on my life since I was 18.

 My mum still says today how grateful she is to the well-read ophthalmologist who suspected, but couldn’t be sure, what the cause of my vision loss was. Without delay I was referred to an optometrist who specialised in keratoconus—which at the time meant that he had seen keratoconus patients before!

Keratoconus is a condition that affects the cornea (the front surface of the eye). As a result of this thinning, the normally round shape of the cornea is distorted and a cone-like bulge develops, resulting in significant visual impairment. In the early stages, vision is correctable with glasses but with progression the cornea becomes highly irregular and hard contact lenses are required for adequate vision correction.

One of the most frustrating things for me is people telling me to just wear glasses instead of contact lenses given they can give me so much grief but without my lenses I can’t see. In about 15% of cases, the central cornea becomes extremely thin and irregular and corneal transplantation surgery is required to restore vision(I haven't hit that stage yet and don't think I will do, however its been a bit of a pain for the last few years).

I believe more children who don't have the fortune that I had deserve a chance. That's why I'm running this marathon. All the money raised will be given to the "Fight for Sight" charity who are on a mission to research Keratoconus and other eye progressive diseases. This marathon is a challenge for me, but it's nothing compared to the challenge that thousands of young kids face every day.

Thanks for all your help.

Seb