A FAMILY has launched a cash appeal to pay for treatment which they desperately hope will help their blind baby to see.

Tiny Connor Wrighton is just over six months old, but fluid on his brain and subsequent damage to his optic nerves soon after birth appears to have left him completely without sight.

Now his parents Lisa and Nathan Wrighton, of Branch Road, Skipton, think they have found possible courses of treatment overseas which could, at least, give their only child the chance of some vision.

But they need to raise at least £13,000 over the next few months to give little Connor any hope of ever seeing his parents' faces.

Lisa and Nathan say they realised Connor could have problems just hours after he was born, in Airedale Hospital at the end of November. His head was growing far too fast and doctors at Leeds General Infirmary eventually found that he had a slight cerebral palsy, which is affecting his motor skills.

Connor has had an operation to fit a shunt, which regulates the pressure in his head.

Nathan, 27, a paintsprayer at Skipton Ford, said that eventually they realised Connor was not responding at all to visual stimulation. Connor has now been found to have optic atrophy, which means he is completely blind.

Nathan told the Craven Herald: "Obviously we have been completely devastated by this. Our lives have been completely turned around, but we didn't want to just accept the situation. We have done a lot of research online and have found companies in America, Ukraine and China which can perform stem cell treatment.

"This could give Connor some limited vision at least. He is never going to see more than vague shapes, but we want to give him every chance we possibly can. At the moment we are leaning towards treatment in China, which will take 19 days. The treatment itself is about £10,000, but we will also need to pay for flights, accommodation and living expenses. We have already sent them Connor's MRI scans. "They will not perform an operation until he is a year old, so we have got about six months to raise the money we need."

Mum Lisa, 28, assistant manager at Altham's Travel in Skipton, said they had already had lots of fundraising ideas from friends and family. Her sister Michelle and friend Becky are intending to do a sponsored skydive later in the year and plans have already been put forward for fundraising events.

Lisa said: "Everybody's been brilliant with ideas and people have already donated, but there is a long way to go. We have also organised a fundraising dinner at the Rendezvous Hotel in Skipton on August 22, so we are hoping things will go well with that."

The family has also set up a Facebook page, HelpConnor, which also contains a link to PayPal: helpconnor@yahoo.com for anyone who wishes to make a donation.