What does someone with Stargardt disease see?
The first symptom of Stargardt disease that a person may notice is a problem with central vision. It may appear distorted or have dark areas. In general, peripheral vision is unaffected. Some people also have trouble seeing colors and adjusting from bright to dim areas may be slower than normal.
What is the difference between Stargardt’s and macular degeneration?
While it affects the same part of the central retinal, called the macula, as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), it is different from AMD. Patients with Stargardt’s often develop symptoms including difficulty reading, black spots in their central vision, or changes in color perception between the ages of 10 and 40.
Can Stargardt lead to blindness?
Stargardt disease can cause color blindness, so your eye doctor may also test your color vision.
Is Stargardt disease wet or dry?
An inherited form, Stargardt disease, is less common and can affect people at an earlier age. The symptoms are related to a loss of central vision, as the macula is affected by drusen (in the dry form) or blood vessel formation and leakage (in the wet form).
Do you go blind with Stargardt disease?
The condition can be slowly degenerative and progressive, but it is very uncommon for someone with Stargardt Disease to become completely blind. The rate of progression and degree of visual loss can vary from person to person and even among affected members of the same family.
What is Stargardt disease of the eye?
Stargardt disease is a rare genetic eye disease that happens when fatty material builds up on the macula — the small part of the retina needed for sharp, central vision. Vision loss usually starts in childhood — but some people with Stargardt disease don’t start to lose their vision until they’re adults.
What are the symptoms of Stargardt disease?
What are the symptoms of Stargardt disease? The most common symptom of Stargardt disease is a slow loss of central vision in both eyes. Some people lose their central vision more quickly than others.
Do people with Stargardt disease lose vision differently?
Some people lose their central vision more quickly than others. Some people with Stargardt disease may also lose their side (peripheral) vision. What causes Stargardt disease? Stargardt disease is usually caused by changes in a gene called ABCA4.
Is there a treatment for Stargardt syndrome?
As such, slowing the formation of vitamin A dimers might lead to a treatment for Stargardt. When vitamin A dimers and byproducts damage the retinal cells, fluorescent granules called lipofuscin in the retinal pigmented epithelium of the retina appear, as a reflecting such damage.