Usher syndrome is an inherited disease that causes serious hearing loss and retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disorder that causes your vision to worsen over time. It is the most common condition that involves both hearing and vision problems.
There are three types of Usher syndrome:
- People with type I are deaf from birth and have severe balance problems from a young age. Vision problems usually develop by age 10 and lead to blindness.
- People with type II have moderate to severe hearing loss and normal balance. Vision problems develop in the early teens and progress more slowly than in type I.
- People with type III are born with normal hearing and near-normal balance but develop vision problems and then hearing loss.
There is no cure. Tools such as hearing aids or cochlear implants can help some people. Training such as Braille instruction, low-vision services or auditory training can also help.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
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Genetics Home Reference: Usher syndrome
(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=ushersyndrome
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Usher Syndrome(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/usher.asp
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Usher Syndrome(National Eye Institute, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) - http://www.ushersyndrome.nih.gov/
- What Is Usher Syndrome?(Foundation Fighting Blindness) - http://www.blindness.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=81
- Retinitis Pigmentosa(Foundation Fighting Blindness) - http://www.blindness.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=67
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Financial Aid for Eye Care(National Eye Institute) - http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/financialaid.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/espanol/financialaid_sp.asp
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Usher Syndromes(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Usher+Syndromes%22
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Genetics Home Reference: Usher syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=ushersyndrome
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Impacts of Usher syndrome type IB mutations on human myosin... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18700726&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Genetic counseling in Usher syndrome: linkage and mutational analysis of... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18564497&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Usher syndromes due to MYO7A, PCDH15, USH2A or GPR98 mutations... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18463160&tool=MedlinePlus
- Usher Syndrome -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=usher+syndromes[mh]+OR+(usher[ti]+AND+syndrome[mh])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Foundation Fighting Blindness - http://www.blindness.org/
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National Eye Institute - http://www.nei.nih.gov/
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National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/
- Hearing Disorders and Deafness - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hearingdisordersanddeafness.html
- Hearing Problems in Children - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hearingproblemsinchildren.html
- Retinal Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/retinaldisorders.html
- Ear, Nose and Throat - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/earnoseandthroat.html
- Eyes and Vision - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/eyesandvision.html
- Genetics/Birth Defects - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/geneticsbirthdefects.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Usher Syndrome is the National Eye Institute - http://www.nei.nih.gov/