what is stargardt's disease? an educational thread

content warnings: talking about loss of sight, hospitals, medical stuff in general

stargardt's disease is a genetic eye condition that affects the cone cells in the back of the eyes. it affects central vision and it is caused when two carriers of the gene variant ABCA4 pass on the mutated gene. it also makes contrast in things harder.

for exampe, someone with stargardt's disease would struggle to read this, as the cone cells in the back of their eyes help with processing colours and contrast between them. it can also get worse over time, until it eventually plateaus out, but it is impossible to predict.

it is quite a common eye condition and it is regarded, in england, as a severe sight impairment, which is the politically correct term for blind. people with stargardt's are not allowed to drive because of their impairment, and they can't see things up close.

someone, like myself, who suffers with stargardt's disease has little to no central vision, but some peripheral vision. the individual may choose to use their peripheral vision more for everyday tasks, such as reading or watching the television.

whilst stargardt's disease is a serious visual impairment, it's not totally life limiting, and you can still live a moderately normal and independent life. it has it's limitations, but there is nothing to say that an individual with stargardt's has to be confined to do one thing.

how you can help someone with stargardt's:
-be patient with them! they're doing their best and they do not need rushing in reading tasks.
-always carry sunglasses. people with stargardt's tend to be extremely light sensitive.
-if they can't read something, read it to them.

end of thread. i hope this was helpful to some of you guys, and it gave you an insight (no pun intended) to what living with stargardt's is like.