Stargardt disease is the most common form of hereditary pediatric macular degeneration.
The progressive loss of vision connected to Stargardt disease is caused by the death of the specialized light-sensitive photoreceptive cells in the central part of the retina, called macula. Stargardt disease usually develops in childhood and adolescence. People with the disease first notice a problem with their central vision, which can be blurred, distorted or have dark spots. Peripheral vision is usually not affected, but color perception can be affected in later stages of the disease.
The progression of the disease varies for different patients. In some of them, it develops slowly and then gets faster. Vision sharpness progressively declines in half. The patient starts seeing what is normal to see at 20 meters at 10. Almost full blindness is reached.
There is no cure for Stargardt disease and no way to slow down its progression. However, different genetic procedures are being developed, and it is possible that they will be available to treat Stargardt disease in the near future.
Wearing sunglasses to protect the eyes from UV and bright light can be useful.