Genetic Eye Disease
Genetic Eye Disease Defined
Many eye disorders are genetic and can be hereditary. It is possible to test someone’s genes to look for changes that can cause eye disease. These changes to genes are called mutations.
Reasons To Get Genetically Tested
You should discuss the pros and cons of genetic testing with your eye doctor and the genetics doctor before deciding whether to have the test performed.
- Establishing a definite diagnosis that might not be possible otherwise
- Ruling out a condition that your eye doctor was considering since some can look very similar
- Identifying people who might be eligible to participate in a clinical trial, or a new treatment
- Helping to determine how the condition will progress since different gene mutations affect people differently
Possible Outcomes
- Sometimes, nothing is found with genetic testing
- Genetic testing may confirm that a person has a specific disease that they were hoping they did not have and can cause distress
- Genetic testing may confirm that a parent has passed the disease to an offspring and can be distressing
Many eye disorders are hereditary and can be passed from one or both parents to offspring. More common hereditary disorders include but are not limited to:
- Achromatopsia
- Albinism — Oculocutaneous
- Albinism — Ocular
- Aniridia
- Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy
- Best Disease
- Cataracts (Usually the types seen in children)
- Chloridemia
- Color Vision Deficiency (not really color “blindness” but some people call it that)
- Corneal Dystrophy
- Cone-Rod Dystrophy
- Doyne Honeycomb Dystrophy (Autosomal Dominant Drusen)
- Glaucoma (Usually the type seen in children)
- Juvenile X-Linked Retinoschisis
- Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy
- Leber Congenital Amaurosis (a type of retinitis pigmentosa)
- Pattern Dystrophy
- Retinitis Pigmentosa
- Stargardt Juvenile Macular Dystrophy