Stargardt’s Syndrome
Stargardt’s Syndrome also known as Stargardt's Disease is a genetically inherited juvenile macular degeneration that causes progressive vision loss. Stargardt's disease may occur in one of every 20,000 children over the age of 6 and is usually diagnosed before the age of 20. With Stargardt's Disease, the macula and surrounding retina are affected. The macula is the very center of our retina. The images we see are focused on the retina like the film in the camera. Unlike camera film where every part of the film is equally sensitive, our retina concentrates the most sensitive vision in the very center.
How Fast Does Stargardt's Progress?
It's difficult to pinpoint exactly when retinal damage will occur or how fast it will progress, because variations can occur even among family members with similar inherited tendencies.
What are the Symptoms?
Stargardt's disease may first be detected by a mild loss of visual acuity or sharpness of vision. As Stargardt's disease progresses, patients may experience small areas of vision loss or blind spots. ( Patients learn to turn their eyes in a specific direction to see around the blind spots. They must place the image on an area adjacent the macula. This is an adaptive step used to maximize their vision.) Patients may also experience distorted vision, inability to see in low lighting and difficulty recognizing familiar faces. In late stages of Stargardt's, color vision also may be lost.
Can Stargardt's Disease Be Prevented or Treated?
Some research indicates that exposure to bright light may play a role in triggering the retinal damage that occurs with Stargardt's. While there is no known treatment for Stargardt's disease at this time, people with the condition often are advised to wear eyeglasses or sunglasses with UV protection to reduce the possibility of additional eye damage caused by the sun.
References:
Asbury, T., Riordan-Eva, P., & Vaughan, D. (1999). General Ophthalmology.
(15th ed.) Connecticut: Appleton & Lange
Foundation Fighting Blindness. (n.d.) Stargardt Disease. Retrieved July 4, 2010,
from http://www.blindness.org/index.php?view=article&catid=38%3Aother- retinaldiseases&id=245%3Astargardtdisease&option=com_content&Itemid=88
Haddrill, M. (n.d.) Stargardt’s Disease. Retrieved July 4, 2010, from
http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/stargardts.htm
Wikipedia. (n.d.) Stargardt Disease. Retrieved July 4, 2010, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargardt_disease
Windsor, R.L., & Windsor, L.K. (n.d.) Understanding Stargardt’s Disease.
Retrieved July 4, 2010, from http://www.visionww.org/drswindsor- stargardt.htm
Developed by Christy Richardson