Prevalence
Stargardt's affects about 1 in every 10 000 people. It is inherited when both parents have mutations of the gene associated with the processing of vitamin A in the eye. A parent may be a carrier without displaying any of the signs of the disease.
Roughly 5 % of people have this mutated gene
Up to 50% of children of an affected parent may develop Stargardt’s
Predicting the progression of the disease isn’t straight forward. Members of the same family may have different levels of vision loss and that vision loss may start at different times and progress at different rates. That being said, presentation of the disease usually begins in childhood or adolescence but significant vision loss may not be noticeable until early adulthood.
Someone with Stargardt's can experience vision loss from 20/50 to 20/200; unless an individual has the fundus flavimaculatus version of the disease, which is associated with more severe vision loss.
Stargardt's is diagnosed by the identification of yellow spots of tissue that are shed from the outer layer of the retina.
(Image of a family, the center of the image is blurred to simulate the vision loss associated with Stargardt's)