What it is
Usher syndrome is an inherited disease that causes serious hearing loss and retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disorder in which vision worsens over time. It's the most common condition affecting both hearing and vision.
The three types
| Type | Hearing | Balance | Vision |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | deaf from birth | severe problems from a young age | problems usually start by age 10 and lead to blindness |
| II | moderate to severe loss | normal | problems start in the early teens and worsen more slowly than in type I |
| III | normal at birth, lost later | near-normal | vision problems come first, then hearing loss |
What helps
There's no cure, but some people are helped by:
- hearing aids or cochlear implants;
- training such as Braille instruction, low-vision services or auditory training.
Sources
Based on "Usher Syndrome," MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, drawing on the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIH); a work of the United States government in the public domain.
LanguagesEnglish
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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