The leading genetic cause of deafblindness, Usher syndrome affects an estimated 10,000+ people in the UK and around 400,000 people worldwide.

Sight loss is caused by Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) – the progressive deterioration of the retina (the area of the eye which senses light). As a result, the first symptoms are often nightblindness – difficulty seeing in the dark – and loss of peripheral vision. 

There is currently no cure for Usher syndrome and, because it affects us all differently, there’s no accurate way to predict the rate at which it will progress. However, research is constantly taking place into the genetic causes of Usher syndrome and, ultimately, finding potential cures or treatments.