Ezra’s story
25 April 2025
When baby Ezra was diagnosed with glaucoma at just three months old, Moorfields became a lifeline for him and his family. Their story highlights the life-changing impact of expert care and how fundraising through Eye to Eye helps bring hope to others facing sight loss.
When Ezra was three months old, he woke up with a cloudy eye. Upon noticing, his family immediately sought medical help.
After calling 111 and going to urgent care, Ezra was given some eye drops to ease his symptoms as well as a referral to Moorfields for the following week.
At this appointment, Ezra was given a diagnosis of glaucoma.
What is glaucoma?
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Glaucoma is an eye condition where damage to the optic nerve causes sight loss. It is usually caused by the pressure inside your eye rising too high.
Your eye is full of fluid, which helps it to keep its shape and function properly. If too much fluid builds up inside the eye, the pressure rises and squeezes the optic nerve at the back of the eye.
This can cause damage to your optic nerve - a bundle of over a million nerve fibres that carry signals between your eye and your brain.
Pressure might build up in the eye when:
- fluid is stopped from draining away
- extra fluid is produced after an eye injury or infection - this is called‘secondary glaucoma’
- there is an abnormality in the shape of the eye in children - this is called‘congenital glaucoma’
Glaucoma tends to develop slowly over many years. As there is currently no cure for glaucoma, treatment focuses on early diagnosis, careful monitoring and regular treatment to help prevent further sight loss.
9 in 10
people diagnosed with glaucoma today who get the treatment they need will retain useful sight for the rest of their lives
It is not currently possible to repair the optic nerve once it has been damaged, so any vision lost to glaucoma cannot be recovered. If left untreated, glaucoma can lead to blindness.
There are usually no symptoms of a rising pressure in the eye until sight loss occurs, so regular eye tests are the best way to help spot the condition early.
Ezra was then scheduled for surgery on 14 February 2025 which was successful. He now attends regular checkups with his mum Charley.
Charley expressed her gratitude for Moorfields, saying that the care Ezra received has been ‘so amazing’.
To show their appreciation even more, Ezra and his family are all taking part in Eye to Eye this year on Sunday 22 June as ‘Team Ezra’. Charley and Ezra, alongside some friends, will be taking part in the 5 mile walk with Ezra in his pushchair, and his nanny Caron will be doing the 15 mile walk with her friends too.
They all want to give back to Moorfields to raise awareness of glaucoma and show their appreciation for the hospital and the wonderful team who have been supporting Ezra from the very first day.
“We’re really excited about the day and hope to raise as much money and awareness as possible. The money fundraised will hopefully mean one day people with glaucoma like Ezra, can have a cure.”
Charley
We’re really looking forward to cheering on Team Ezra at their first Eye to Eye.
Thank you for helping to support life-changing care for people like Ezra and his family, who are living with sight loss.
