'I'm going blind at 36 and can't see my daughter'

'I'm going blind at 36 and can't see my daughter'Kaylie is having to raise money for private surgeryCommentsNewsNeil Shaw Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)08:56, 17 Apr 2026Updated 08:58, 17 Apr 2026View 5 ImagesKaylie with her daughter Boe (Kennedy News & Media)A mum who assumed she had conjunctivitis as 'only elderly people got cataracts' has been told she is going blind at 36. Kaylie Kelliher first noticed she was struggling with her eyesight in August last year after waking up one morning and discovering everything around her looked 'hazy'.‌Initially being told it was conjunctivitis at a pharmacy, the mum-of-one was prescribed eye drops but claims her eyesight kept declining. Kaylie says that lights were 'blinding' her and that during a family camping trip at the end of August she noticed she was struggling to see.‌In September, Kaylie visited her optician and was diagnosed with rapid onset cataracts, a condition that usually affects those aged 60 or over. The mum-of-one, who can't see her face in the mirror or watch TV, is now fundraising to have surgery privately in a bid to restore her sight.‌View 5 ImagesKaylie with her daughter Boe (Kennedy News & Media)Kaylie who lives in Greenwich, London said: "I was absolutely dumbfounded when he [the optician] said to me I had rapid onset cataracts. I said to him 'I'm too young for that' and he was like 'yes you are, you're really young and it shouldn't be happening at your age'."I have really elderly neighbours and I've heard cataracts mentioned from them. I'm not living a life at the minute, I'm housebound. I can't do anything, even just silly girl things. [Like] being able to paint your toenails because you can't see them, or pluck your eyebrows because I can't even see my own face in the mirror.‌"I can't even see the telly, I can't see anything, it's hard...