The Vision of Children Foundation to present ‘A Night For Sight’

It wasn’t long ago that Christian Guardino was facing a diagnosis that made his future uncertain. Shortly after Christian was born, his mother was told he had a rare genetic vision disorder, called Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), that would impair his vision and, eventually, lead to blindness. When the opportunity arose for Christian, 13 at the time, to take part in the very first clinical application of gene therapy that would correct the gene that caused his vision disorder, he took it. Because of this decision, and with the help of major advancements in gene therapy, Christian underwent the treatment that would eventually restore about 75-85% of his vision; a modern medical feat that once would have been considered science fiction.

Christian’s lack of sight has never stopped him from having a focused vision of performing for the world. At his first singing audition for the Apollo Theater in New York, he had to navigate the stage with a cane. Upon the successful completion of his gene therapy treatment, Christian went on to compete on “America’s Got Talent” in 2017, where he was the recipient of a Golden Buzzer from Howie Mandel and he progressed in the competition to the semifinals. Today, he continues to share his voice with the world. He has gone on tour to open for Hunter Hayes, who produced Christian’s latest single “Waiting.” After an introduction arranged by Vision of Children, Sacha Skarbeck , who is best known for writing James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” and Miley Cyrus’ hit song “Wrecking Ball,” recognized Christian’s talent and, together, they released Christian’s first single “Missing Part of Me.” On Nov. 10, Christian will take the stage to kick off The Vision of Children Foundation’s “A Night For Sight” event in San Diego.

Christian’s story is a testament to the success and future of vision research. That is why he continues to use his voice to bring hope and awareness to the positive impact this research has made on the visually- impaired community. Cumulative knowledge has been compiled over decades by the dedicated vision research community to ensure treatments like Christian’s will no longer be just a dream, but a reality for those living with genetic vision disorders. It takes the dedication of foundations like The Vision of Children Foundation to provide the funding and support to advance this innovative research which should one day soon enable all visually impaired children to see clearly.

To learn more about The Vision of Children Foundation’s mission to fund life-changing vision research, or to attend the “A Night For Sight” event, featuring The Temptations and Christian Guardino, contact Vision of Children Executive Director Leigh Innocenti, at 858-314-7916 or leigh@visionofchildren.org.