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Introduction

Eye Conditions & Care | Eye Conditions | Introduction

Hereditary Eye Disease

Hereditary eye diseases affect around 40 million people worldwide. No accurate figures exist for the number of people with these diseases in the U.A.E. (or the Middle East) but it is thought that a higher than average amount of people will start to lose their sight due to their effect.

These conditions often pass from generation to generation affecting many members of a family but they can also occur sporadically in a family with no previous history at all.

There are many types of retinal disorder and the symptoms can vary from person to person often making diagnosis difficult. Symptoms include loss of vision in certain areas (for example the peripheral sight or central vision), blurring of vision and difficulty in seeing at night.

There is no cure for these diseases at present but there are ways that people affected by them may be able to prolong or maximise the sight that is available to them. There is also real progress towards finding a cure.

There are many types of retinal degeneration.

Here are some of the most common and some that have relevance to people living in the Middle East:

Retinitis Pigmentosa

RP usually causes a progressive degeneration of sight but this varies from person to person. It is a genetic condition and can affect many members of a family but it can also occur sporadically in a family with no previous history at all.

Ushers Syndrome

Ushers Syndrome is an inherited disorder. Moderate to profound hearing loss, which is present at birth or shortly after, and progressive vision loss due to Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a degeneration of the retina are the characteristics of Ushers Syndrome. It is the major cause of deaf blindness.

Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA)

Leber's Congenital Amaurosis is a degenerative disease that results in a severe loss of vision. This disease is thought to be caused by abnormal development of photoreceptor cells in the retina or the extremely premature degeneration of the retinal cells.

Stargardt's Disease

Stargardt's Disease is the most common form of inherited Macular Degeneration in children and young people (juveniles). The disease not only causes the loss of central vision but also affects colour vision.

Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) causes progressive loss of central vision due to the degeneration or breaking down of the macula. The macula is central portion of the retina at the back of the eye.

Macular Degeneration

Macular Degeneration is a group of diseases characterised by the gradual breakdown of the macula (the central portion of the retina at the back of the eye).

Laurence Moon Bardet Beidl Syndrome

LMBB Syndrome is a rare, recessively inherited disorder which affects approximately 1 in 100,000 babies born. Recessive genes are those which we carry but do not affect our development. Both men and women are carriers.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when the pancreas does not secrete enough insulin or the body is unable to process it properly. Insulin is the hormone that regulates the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood.

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