Six-year-old girl with cataracts overcomes fears to jump into a swimming pool in Jersey

ITV Channel's Hannah Ludlow went to meet six-year-old Matilda...

A girl from Jersey with a rare eye condition has overcome her fears by learning to jump into a pool.

Six-year-old Matilda was born with bilateral congenital cataracts, which cause blurred vision in both eyes and affect just three in 10,000 babies.

Her lack of visual focus makes depth perception difficult, so Matilda often struggles to walk on unfamiliar and irregular terrain like sand.

Her mum Anney says: "She struggles with really bright lights, and when the ground is uneven if there's a hole in the sand she just won't see it and will fall in.

"But otherwise she does really well, she doesn't like heights, so for a long time she wouldn't go on swings or wouldn't go on the slide, but she's definitely getting braver."

Anney has noticed a huge difference in Matilda's confidence since she first started swimming in February.

She says: "With water, you've got the reflection, and the movement, and so for her jumping into something that she can't really see - why would you?

"So she did really well."

Prior to giving birth to Matilda, Anney associated cataracts with elderly people and says she did not know that babies could be born with the condition.

The family has spent the past few years travelling back and forth to Moorfield's Eye Hospital in London for treatment, in addition, to support from Jersey's eye clinic.

Anyone with cataracts can undergo surgery to have them removed, but Matilda will not have an operation as her cataracts have not changed in size since birth.

She is monitored every three months and will be able to have an operation if her cataracts become an obstacle when one day learning to drive.

Due to the rare nature of the condition in children, Anney struggled to find anyone in Jersey who had experienced something similar.

Local eye charity Eyecan wants to help islanders connect with other people that might be going through the same experiences as them.

Chris Frost, rehabilitation officer for Eyecan, says: "We've got a really good network of people now, people of all ages, so if people come to us and maybe need to be put in contact with another person who's experiencing a similar thing, then we've generally got the ability to do that and make those connections."

Matilda and her family have been supported by Jersey Sport throughout her journey in the water.

Swimming development officer, Martine Le Guilcher, says all children in Jersey should have access to swimming regardless of whether or not they have a disability.

She says: "Swimming is a life skill as we live on an island, and it's probably one of the most important sports that children learn growing up so that they can be safe in and around the water."

Due to her lack of clear vision and confidence, Matilda was slow to develop in many areas including walking and talking.

Learning to swim has not only aided her development but has also given her the courage to face her fears.

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