Stargardt Disease

Stargardt disease is the most common form of inherited juvenile macular degeneration. The progressive vision loss associated with Stargardt disease is caused by the death of photoreceptor cells in the central portion of the retina called the macula.

Decreased central vision is a hallmark of Stargardt disease. Side vision is usually preserved. Stargardt disease typically develops during childhood and adolescence. Also involved in Stargardt disease is a region beneath the macula called the retinal pigment epithelium. Since mutations in certain genes may cause the build-up of a toxin called A2E (a break-down product of vitamin A), vitamin A supplementation nutritional therapy is not recommended for some individuals with Stargardt disease. if you use nutritional supplementation, please consult with your personal physician and ophthalmologist as your personal health situation may require monitoring or a non-typical approach and nutritional supplements may interfere with prescribed medicines. For information on another juvenile macular degeneration, see Best Disease.