I’d give him my eyes if I could – Michael Owen would love to help son see again

Former England striker Michael Owen has said he would do anything to help his son James see again and would “give him my eyes” if he could.

James Owen, 17, was diagnosed with the degenerative eye condition Stargardt disease when he was eight.

Speaking on the BBC Access All podcast, former Liverpool forward Michael Owen said: “You want to swap with him; if I could give him my eyes and we’d do a swap then I would tomorrow of course… I would pay every cent I’ve got to make James see again.”

'I'd swap eyes with my son if I could'

Footy legend Michael Owen talks about coming to terms with his son James's sight loss and the parental guilt that went with it

Listen to the full interview: https://t.co/xftcx1Y2MM pic.twitter.com/sUjuuG7WTk

— BBC Access All (@BBCAccessAll) January 24, 2024

James said on the podcast that his central vision is “blurry” and that he struggles to see different colours and lights, although he has good peripheral vision.

As a child, James had aspired to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Terry, who began his career at Everton before playing for Bradford, Chester and Rochdale. But it was on the football pitch that the first clues regarding James’ condition emerged.

Although he was good on the ball, James struggled to follow the ball or player movements, and the issue only became more pronounced on bigger pitches.

Michael also noticed his son not looking at the camera when posing for photographs, and they were referred to an eye specialist who gave James his diagnosis – news Michael Owen said was “a hammer blow for any parent”.

The condition is inherited, and Michael Owen said he felt guilt when he learned more about it.

“As a parent you just want everything to be perfect – and he is – but