HASLEMERE couple Robert and wife Kate will step into action for Moorfields Eye Hospital’s mass participation walk, Eye to Eye next month.

For the couple, fundraising for Moorfields is a way to support research that could lead to a treatment or cure for retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

When Kate Roe met Rob at university it was a standing joke he couldn’t see in the dark. Little did they know that those early warning signs were symptoms of RP, an inherited disease that means Rob could be blind by the time he is in his mid-40s.

Kate said: “We used to laugh at Rob for being clumsy, but when he started seeing black spots in his vision in his 30s we realised that something was wrong. We were living abroad at the time and thought we’d wait until we were home and could come to Moorfields to get it checked out.”

A GP referral soon took the couple to the clinic of Professor Anthony Moore, consultant ophthalmologist, who diagnosed RP. Professor Moore explained that Rob would experience a gradual decline in his vision, starting with reduced night and peripheral vision and progressing to his detailed and central vision.

Kate described the news as “terrifying”. She said: “The thing that scares you most is not knowing how much longer Rob will have his sight for.

“It’s a bit of a pain, he can’t drive anymore and he’s had to give up playing football, but that’s manageable.

Kate and Rob have two children, Eloise and Daisy, and Kate said one of her biggest fears is Rob won’t be able to see his children for much longer.

“They are two and four now, and changing all the time. We get so much joy out of watching them grow up – will he still be able to see then when they are 10 or 20? Will he get a glimpse of their wedding day?

“I remember when he first got diagnosed and I would see people with glasses and think – I bet you don’t realise how lucky you are you can put your glasses on and your sight is restored. We take our vision for granted so much and you only start to appreciate it when you’re watching someone go through the horror of it slipping between their fingers.”

For the family, however, the thought they don’t know what’s to come has been a motivation to enjoy to the full the time they have and fundraising for Moorfields is a central part.

“We know we’re in the very best hands at Moorfields and we’re so lucky to have some of the best specialists in the world involved in Rob’s care.

“It helps to know our fundraising is making a contribution to research that could, one day, find a cure for blindness,” said Kate.

“It’s incredible we’re receiving care from some of the top specialists in the world on the NHS. It wouldn’t feel right not fundraising and trying to give something back.”

Rob and Kate have already organised a Bollywood-themed ball, raising over £5,000 for Moorfields and will hold a carnival extravaganza later on this year.

“The events are a way for us to do what we love, basically have a party with our friends, while knowing that we’re supporting Moorfields. If a pound we raise leads to a breakthrough, then that gift is going to help so many people with sight problems the world over.”

On Sunday, March 13, the family will join hundreds of Moorfields patients and staff to walk through the centre of London from Moorfields to the London Eye.

Participants in the Eye to Eye walk have the option of walking one of two routes – a 14-mile walk or a shorter family-friendly four-mile route. Both start at Moorfields Eye Hospital at City Road and finish at the major tourist attraction opposite the Houses of Parliament on the South Bank.

Those taking part will also have the option to nominate which area of eye research is to benefit from the money they raise through sponsorship.

Registration costs £18 for the 14-mile route and £12 for the shorter distance. There is no minimum sponsorship and children aged under 12 go free with every adult place on the shorter route.

Register online at www.moorfields.nhs.uk/walk, call 020 7566 2486 or email [email protected]. Registration closes today (Friday).