Stargardt’s Disease Fundus Flavimaculatus Martin Fuentez – Biology 4th Pd.

Stargardt Disease, “is an inherited form of juvenile macular degeneration that causes progressive vision loss usually to a level of blindness. The progression usually starts between the ages of eight and twelve years old and slows down a little after rapid reduction in visual acuity. Several genes are associated with the disorder...”

HISTORY Karl Stargardt, a German opthalmologist, discovered the disease in 1909. It was later discovered that mutations in the ABCA4 gene causes the disease. This mutation causes the paralysis of the photoreceptor cell, making it unable to transport energy to and from the cell. A photoreceptor cell is a sensory organ that responds to light.

About 90% of Stargardt cases appear to be inherited in an autosomal recessive manner; each parent must pass a copy of the defective gene to a child in order for the child to be affected .

Symptoms The main symptom of Stargardt Disease is loss of visual acuity. Acuity is visual sharpness; it is the ability to read letters and numbers from given distances. Perfect vision is measured at an acuity of 20/20. The acuity of a person with Stargardt Disease will range from 20/50 to 20/200 .

Other Symptoms Sensitivity to glare (Stargardt patients commonly wear sunglasses to shield themselves from sunlight) Central vision loss ( center of retina and focus of vision is damaged ; leaving peripheral vision more intact Wavy vision Blind spots Blurriness Impaired color vision Difficulty adapting to dim lighting Failed depth perception Come and go vision (some Stargardt patients complain about fast disappearing and reappearing objects)

A fluorescein angiography image of a healthy eye. of my eye.

Resources Stargardt Disease (Fundus Flavimaculatus). Retrieved from http://stargardtdisease.com/stargardt-disease-fundus-flavimaculatus/ Definition for photoreceptor. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/#q=what+is+photoreceptor Definition for visual acuity. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/#q=what+is+visual+acuity Stargardt’s disease: a hereditary form of vision loss. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=62582